An Idaho transgender woman was handed a two- to five-year prison sentence despite pleading in court that her filming of a teenaged girl undressing in a Target store dressing room was just “a mistake,” a report says.
Shauna Smith, 43, who was booked into Bonneville County Jail last July under her birth name of Sean Patrick Smith, reportedly told police upon arrest that the videos were “sexually gratifying.” But in court, Smith claimed that it was all just a “mistake.”
After apologizing for causing the victim mental anguish, Smith added, “I don’t feel that I’m a bad person. I’m truly sorry I made these mistakes,” according to the Post Register.
The 18-year-old victim petitioned the judge to give Smith the full five-year sentence, saying that the whole incident has caused her severe mental anguish.
“It’s kind of a far-fetched cliché,” the victim said. “I never thought this would happen. I always supported the transgender community, but I felt a little betrayed.”
The victim went on to reveal that she was more than just a “little betrayed” by revealing that she has been living in a “permanent state of anxiety” since the incident in the Target changing room, adding that ever since the violation, she has felt unsafe and afraid to be alone.
Despite the victim’s anguish, though, District Judge Joel Tingey refused to sentence Smith to the full five years, instead issuing a two- to five-year sentence to give a parole board the option to release the convict after two years in prison.
Judge Tingey did note in court that Smith “victimized a young lady” by taking advantage of Target’s loose transgender bathroom policy.
This July invasion of privacy incident occurred only about four months after Target announced that it was going to allow transgender people to choose whichever bathroom or changing room they want to use at any given time.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.