N.L. man not guilty in child porn case

CASE MAY BE FIRST IN CANADA INVOLVING A DOLL

A Newfoundland man has been found not guilty of possessing child pornography after a judge determined it was not proven he knew the sex doll he ordered was child-sized.

Judge Mark Pike said he accepted expert testimony that the doll was child pornography, and said that Kenneth Harrisson’s stated reasons for ordering it did not ring true.

But the judge concluded the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Harrisson knew what was in the box delivered to his St. John’s home in 2013.

During the provincial court trial, Harrisson testified that he meant to order a lifelike, adultsized sex doll for companionship to replace his son, who died in infancy decades earlier.

Pike said Thursday said Harrisson’s explanation was far-fetched, but he was left with too many doubts about what Harrisson saw on the web page the day he ordered it.

“The reason offered by Harrisson for ordering the doll is incredible and doesn’t make sense to me, however this does not mean that the Crown has met the burden of proof,” Pike said on Thursday.

“I must ensure that I don’t confuse the question of who to believe with the question of whether there’s reasonable doubt.”

The unusual case has been working its way through the courts for years. It is believed to be the first trial in Canada dealing with child pornography charges involving a sex doll.

The case was poised to set a precedent around what constitutes child pornography when no real child is involved.

Harrisson, 54, was found not guilty of possessing child pornography and mailing obscene material. He was also acquitted on two charges under the federal Customs Act of smuggling and possession of prohibited goods.

Harrisson had ordered the doll from Japan in 2013, but it was intercepted on its way to his St. John’s home.