Police arrest 122 people, lay 551 child porn charges
Police have laid 551 child exploitation charges against 122 individuals across the province in November, including charges against six men from Ottawa.
The release of names and charges for November are part of a bid by the Ontario Provincial Police to raise awareness of child exploitation by taking a 30-day “snapshot” of charges.
“Some of these victims are so young, they cannot report the crimes because they have not uttered their first word,” OPP Insp. Tina Chalk said at a news conference in Vaughan on Wednesday morning. “If you watch, distribute or access child pornography, you may as well be holding the hand of the offender who is committing the abuse.”
Cypertip.ca, a national tip line for reporting online sexual exploitation of children, has received about 540,000 tips since it opened in 2002, said director Stephen Sauer. The tip line operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, gets about 15,000 reports a month.
“From our perspective, the concerning matter is that this is such a prolific issue. Our biggest concern is making sure that the public is aware that it has become commonplace.”
Among those charged are past and present teachers, emergency services personnel, military members and others active in local communities, say police. Investigators identified 834 unique IP addresses accessing child pornography during November alone, and police say that figure is “the tip of the iceberg.”
Among the charges laid by Ottawa Police:
Jeffrey Parent, 34, of Ottawa, was charged with distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
George Steinburg, 75, of Ottawa was charged with distribution of child pornography, possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
Kenneth Jodoin, 57, of Ottawa was charged with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Jason Sawyer, 21, of Ottawa was charged with making child pornography available, possession of child pornography and making child pornography.
Pierre Paquette, 59, of Ottawa was charged with possession of child pornography.
James Hodges, 42, of Ottawa was charged with possession of child pornography and breach of probation.
Ottawa police say the first five men have already appeared in court and there is a warrant for the arrest of James Hodges. As well Homeland Security Investigations Ottawa is assisting police in the case of a 34-year-old suspect who is wanted for luring offences and encouraging suicide against a child victim.
Two Ottawa Valley men also face charges:
Murray K. Wilson, 52, of Lanark Highlands, faces one charge of possession of child pornography
Erik C. Bostock, 36, of Chalk River, faces two charges of possession of child pornography and a charge of making child pornography available
In Ottawa, two child victims have been identified, said Superintendent Chris Renwick of the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Ottawa Police Service.
“Investigators are still in the process of viewing all collections of images and videos seized. In total, 38 devices were seized,” Renwick said. “It is expected that additional charges will be laid pending the full forensics of digital evidence seized.”
Across the province, offences included sexual interference, voyeurism and luring.
“I think it’s clear that this crime crosses all demographics of wealth, employment, social status and age,” said OPP Staff Sgt. Sharon Hanlon, co-ordinator of the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet. “These people are our neighbours, relatives and friends. These are people we invite into our worlds because we trust them.”
Sauer said exploitation may often begin where an adult who is trusted by the child starts to “break boundaries” to see if the child is vulnerable.
“We see a lot of children as young as 10 who are lured online. They (the perpetrator) will start talking about body parts, or underwear. If they get a positive, or not a negative response, they will push more boundaries. They may be posing as another child, and will work through different stages.”
Pediatrician Dr. Michelle Ward, the head of child and youth protection at CHEO, says one in 10 children in Canada is abused before the age of 18 — and the impact can last a lifetime. Children who have been sexually abused are two to 3.5 times more likely to suffer from mental health problems and are at between three and eight times higher risk of suicide attempts than children who have not suffered abuse.
“We know that it can have longterm effects. It can affect how kids think of themselves, and who they trust.”
Ward believes the charges laid are just a fraction of the actual incidents. CHEO sees about 150 cases of child sex abuse or assault every year.
“But in most cases, it goes undisclosed and unreported, even into adulthood.”
In 2017, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection released results from an internal survey of 150 now-adult survivors whose child sexual abuse was recorded and/ or distributed online. The survey found that almost 70 per cent were worried about being recognized by someone because of the recording of their abuse. And 30 of the respondents reported being identified by someone who had seen imagery of the abuse. More than half said they were abused by more than one person, and 82 per cent of the primary offenders in cases with multiple offenders were parents or extended family members.
“Offenders come from all walks of life,” Sauer said. “It could be your next-door neighbour. If you see something that’s concerning, report it.”