Toronto Police say they’ve made an arrest following an investigation into child pornography videos being shared on the Internet.
Police responded to a tip through the FBI’s National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and received a tip that 15 kids were engaging in the activity.
During the investigation, they found pornographic videos of children of pre-pubescent age or younger engaged in sexual activity with adults.
Police arrested a 40-year-old man believed to be the one involved in the videos and he faces charges.
Police say charges are expected to be filed soon.
The man is in custody and faces the following charges:
1) Makes, distributes or possesses child pornography
2) Possession of child pornography
3) Possession of child pornography with intention to distribute
4) Making child pornography
5) Failure to comply with release conditions/stay away from children
6) Breach of probation
7) Failing to comply with curfew
8) Utilization of the false name/identity
9) Interfering with a police constable
10) Accessing a computer without authorization
11) Possession of a controlled substance
According to the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General’s Children’s Internet Protection Act, a person commits an offence if they are involved in, download, store, disseminate, acquire, review, and possess child pornography, and also if they promote, share, or otherwise disseminate the possession of child pornography by others.
Currently, charging parents with possession of child pornography is a Class E Felony under the Criminal Code. However, the Children’s Internet Protection Act establishes that the crime will be charged with a Class B Felony.
“For us to know what’s happening, we have to establish there’s actual evidence that will make for a conviction. So we rely a lot on the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit in Toronto to help us identify people, whether it’s a child being victimized or someone attempting to exploit a child,” Sergeant Ron Taverner with the Toronto Police Service told Global News.
“So often it happens online, and they will come back to the individuals, unfortunately, to either give us more information or to arrange to be placed on the National Center’s lists, to make sure we know who the child is being victimized.”
The Toronto Police Detective who has been investigating the case said this has been an ongoing project and the arrests come after a lot of hard work from the police.
Taverner said the victim’s families are being dealt with by the Victim Assistance Units of the various victim support agencies in the city.