Canadians charged in sex-abuse probe

MORE THAN A DOZEN CANADIANS CHARGED IN GLOBAL INVESTIGATION

A sweeping global child exploitation investigation has led to more than 150 arrests around the world and either charges or convictions against 16 Canadians, Toronto police said Thursday.

The probe, dubbed Project Mercury, took place over more than three years. It was aimed at stopping the alleged sexual abuse of children that was being shared online via livestream and involved victims as young as 10 months old, police said.

Toronto Police Staff Supt. Myron Demkiw said the project took a significant toll on investigators, but was essential both for the safety of the affected children and the knowledge of the public at large.

“It’s important to understand that this is happening to children all over the world,” Demkiw said at a news conference. “That they are not only being sexually abused, there are also permanent recordings of this abuse being distributed by people around the globe for their sick perversion.”

Project Mercury’s roots go back to 2014, when investigators in the U.K. uncovered a network of people allegedly livestreaming, recording and distributing instances of child sexual abuse.

Toronto Police Det. Const. Janelle Blackadar said at least one of the alleged victims in that case was a mere infant at the time.

The U.K.’s National Crime Agency identified one of the alleged participants as a Toronto man, leading to the involvement of local police.

City investigators ultimately arrested him and laid a total of 10 charges, at least some of which he was ultimately convicted of, police said.