Man sent to prison for luring two girls

A search of his Cambridge house found images and videos of children being sexually abused

A Cambridge man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to luring two children, making sexually explicit material available to a minor and possessing child pornography.

The man, 25, met a 12-year-old girl online, Kitchener court was told on Wednesday.

“Their interactions became sexual, and sexually explicit pictures were exchanged,” Justice Dominique Kennedy said in a recap of the case.

Police later learned the man had been communicating with another 12-year-old girl he met online.

He was arrested and released on bail. One condition was to have no contact with children. He broke the rule by contacting one of the girls “to tell her that he loved her and missed her,” the judge said.

A police search of his house found 668 images and 181 videos of children, some as young as one year old, being sexually abused, including rape, bestiality and bondage.

The “level of depravity” is an aggravating factor, the judge said.

The man described his online relationship with the two girls as “a consensual adult relationship,” Kennedy said. “This is despite the fact both were children, 12 years old, at the time that he engaged with them sexually and he was an adult.”

He was arrested after a tip to police from the U.S.-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. He committed the crimes in 2019 and 2020.

The man, who has no prior record, is deemed a high risk to reoffend, Kennedy said.

But his moral culpability is diminished because he was the victim of sexual, physical and emotional abuse as a child, court was told.

“He was also exposed to child pornography as a young child,” the judge said. “His struggles with inappropriate sexual behaviours are long-standing and appear to be directly linked to this unfortunate path.”

The man has been diagnosed with autism, post-traumatic stress disorder and pedophilia.

“The PTSD is directly linked to his sexual victimization,” the judge said.

He has tried to take his own life four times.

“According to (his) mother, he has historically struggled in understanding social norms and expectations of socially appropriate behaviour,” the judge said.

Crown prosecutor Anita Etheridge sought eight to nine years in prison. Defence lawyer Bruce Ritter said four to five years would be warranted but recommended two years, factoring in his client’s mental-health issues.

The judge said eight years was too high and two was too low. She sentenced him to five years.

“The message that must be communicated through the imposition of a sentence for such offences is that harsh penalties will apply to those who interact with this toxic material of sexual abuse and who take advantage of vulnerable children,” Kennedy said.

For 20 years, the man can’t attend parks or other places where children frequent. He can’t work or volunteer in a position of trust or authority over a child. He can’t access any online group that discusses child exploitation and can’t use a device or service that provides anonymous use of the internet.

Kennedy put the man on the sex offender registry for 20 years and ordered him to provide a DNA sample for the national databank.

The man has previously received treatment for his sexual disorder.

“I am hopeful that his time in custody will provide him with continued treatment and support for his offending behaviour,” the judge said.

“I really wish you the best of luck,” Kennedy told him. “I hope that you get the help that you need.”

His moral culpability is diminished because he was the victim of sexual, physical and emotional abuse as a child