Winnipeg judge grants Iranian voyeur a conditional discharge to avoid deportation - National Post

The Winnipeg Law Courts building. Photo by Adobe StockArticle contentA Winnipeg judge has granted a conditional discharge to an Iranian-born chemist so he can avoid deportation for surreptitiously and repeatedly filming the backsides of two women at the lab where they all worked.

Seyed Reza Mir Heidari, who pleaded guilty in Manitoba provincial court to two counts of voyeurism, is living in Canada on a work permit that was recently extended until April 2027. He has applied for permanent residency, but that application is on hold because of the voyeurism charges.

His lawyer argued a conviction would make him liable for deportation.

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“Given Mr. Mir Heidari’s lack of record, rehabilitative work done, his remorse and insight, the significant collateral consequences that could result from a conviction, and the fact he is well educated and has held a full time job long term, I am persuaded that it is in the public interest that he be able to move forward without a criminal record, so that he can continue being a contributing member to Canadian society,” Judge Catherine Carlson wrote in a recent decision.

The judge also handed Mir Heidari three years of probation.

She pointed out that a criminal record would hurt his ability to get a new job after the lab fired him and it would have significant consequences on his immigration status.

If Mir Heidari “is deported, he would be deported to Iran,” Carlson said in her Sept. 17 decision.

“Iran is at war with the United States. Mr. Mir Heidari’s wife is an American citizen. It is unlikely Mr. Mir Heidari would be able to go to the United States or that his wife would be able to go to Iran. The practical result is likely that Mr. Mir Heidari would not be able to be in the same country as his wife. That of course could be expected to have a detrimental impact on their marriage.”

The judge found that a conditional discharge was in Mir Heidari’s interest.