Sudbury woman's ex partner accessed video from baby monitors for months after they separated

It's been almost two years since Mandy Herbert discovered that her former romantic partner Dennis Legault, 38, was accessing video footage from cameras inside her home without her knowing.

Even if time has passed, she says she still can't shake the impression that someone is watching her.

"There's just a constant feeling of am I being filmed? Am I being recorded? Because for at least a nine month period, I was and I had absolutely no idea," she said.

From March to December 2022, Legault could use his phone to access the video footage from the baby monitors installed in Herbert's home specifically in her bedroom and in the room of the child they share together.

On Monday he told the court he gained access to the feed from the baby monitors prior to him and Herbert separating, and did not remove his access after moving out.

He could then continue to remotely connect to the devices although he no longer lived in the house. It's unclear how often he accessed the feed.

He pleaded guilty to criminal harassment on Monday and was sentenced to 12 months probation.

He told the Sudbury court that he had only accessed the footage to ensure the well-being of the children that he shares with Herbert.

The judge presiding over the case noted Legault did not express remorse in his submission, but through his lawyer, Legault said pleading guilty meant accepting responsibility.

'I don't trust other people and I have difficulty trusting myself'

Herbertsays knowing Legault could view what was happening in her bedroom for months after they broke up has created deep wounds.

"The bedroom is private for so many reasons. Not that a living room or a foyer isn't, but the bedroom is a different space within the realm of privacy," she said.

"Not only do I not trust him moving forward, I don't trust other people and I have difficulty trusting myself, my own judgment, and my own thoughts," she added.

Herbert says counselling has helped unpack some of the trauma the incident has caused but that she feels things will never quite be the same.

"It's hard to explain because it is not a physical wound, it's an emotional and psychological one," said Herbert. "Remotely accessing cameras it's not about concern, it's about control."

She says she's happy the publication ban was lifted on this matter, as she felt it protected Legault more than it protected her.

"I wouldn't have been able to have the voice I need to heal. I'm grateful to be able to bring awareness to situations like these because they are not normal, they're not just a bad separation," she said.