Child porn charges are ‘tip of the iceberg’
Police across Ontario charge 122 people, rescue 55 victims
Several local men, including a Hamilton paramedic, are among 122 people facing 551 charges tied to the sexual abuse and exploitation of children online.
The charges are a snapshot into the work done in November by 27 police services across Ontario who are part of the provincial strategy to protect children from sexual abuse and internet exploitation.
There were 55 victims identified, with the youngest victim rescued just three years old, OPP Staff Sgt. Sharon Hanlon, co-ordinator of the provincial strategy, said during a news conference in Vaughan announcing the charges Wednesday.
Those charged also include two men from Hamilton and a Burlington man.
Hanlon noted a disturbing trend of victims getting younger and acts of abuse getting more violent.
Charges range from sexual assault, to luring, to child pornography offences. Those arrested include teachers, emergency service personnel, military, victim’s family members and a woman. There are 11 young offenders who cannot be identified.
“These people are neighbours, relatives and friends, these are people
we invite into our worlds because we trust them,” Hanlon said, adding that offenders come from all walks of life.
Frank Hampson, 50, of Welland was charged by Niagara police with possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
Hampson is an advanced-care paramedic in Hamilton.
“Hamilton Paramedic Service is aware that Niagara Regional Police have charged one of our advanced-care paramedics, Frank Hampson, with possession of child pornography as result of off-duty conduct,” paramedic Chief Michael Sanderson said in an emailed statement.
Hampson is not actively at work at this time and there are no reports of on-duty misconduct, he added.
Michael Macpherson, 62, of Hamilton is charged with making child pornography, three counts of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Jason Haughie, 39, of Hamilton is charged with two counts of possession of child pornography and making available child pornography. Haughie is one of 12 charged with a prior related conviction.
The two Hamilton arrests represent a “fairly typical” month of work for the unit, said Det. Const. Jeremy Miller, one of three Hamilton police internet child exploitation (ICE) unit members at the news conference.
These cases involved three search warrants and four production orders to access records, he said. The investigations began after the service providers flagged suspicious activity coming from IP (internet protocol) addresses in Hamilton and notified the RCMP, who contacted Hamilton police.
Investigations are often complex, because detectives are waiting on service providers to hand over records and sometimes deal with international companies that don’t respond to Canadian judicial orders, Miller said.
Halton police made seven arrests, including Burlington’s Christopher Harvie, 42, who faces two counts of possession of child pornography, making available child pornography and accessing child pornography charges.
In the month of November alone, police identified 834 unique IP addresses where child pornography was being viewed or shared. Yet police said that’s “the tip of the iceberg.”
Sometimes offenders facing child pornography charges try to minimize their actions by saying they were “only watching.” But anyone involved is complicit in the abuse.
“If you watch you may as well be hold the hand of the offender,” said OPP Insp. Tina Chalk.
She called on everyone to educate themselves about the signs of sexual exploitation and report when it’s suspected. “Police cannot do this alone,” she said. To learn more about child sexual exploitation visit the Canadian Centre for Child Protection at protectchildren.ca.
To report suspected child sexual exploitation contact police or the national tip line at cybertip.ca
If a child is in immediate danger call 911.