Child porn accused has city home
Neighbours say there has been no police activity at the Walnut St. home of Franz Klingender, the curator of the Canada Agricultural Museum in Ottawa charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
Klingender, 59, was arrested Thursday night as he and his wife, Deborah Scott, a teacher in the museums management program at Fleming College, were about to board a flight from Toronto to England.
The couple were on their way to Manchester for the weeklong 24th International Congress of Science, Technology and Medicine, which begins Sunday.
Police have told QMI Agency they believe Scott had no knowledge of her husband’s alleged criminal activity.
Police sources say Klingender is suspected of being a "big fish" and a "prolific" distributor of child pornography.
He is not suspected of creating the material.
Investigators say Klingender was using his Ottawa basement apartment as a home base for extensive child pornography distribution.
Police raided Klingender’s apartment and office in Ottawa Thursday, but neighbours on the quiet Walnut St. said Saturday police have not come to the couple’s home.
“I’m surprised no one has come here to check the computers,” said a neighbour who did not want to be identified, and said he was aware of the charges against Klingender.
The neighbour said Klingender and Scott have lived on the quite street for about six years.
“He’s very quiet,” the neighbour said of Klingender. ”I really can’t say anything about them. He spends half his time in Ottawa and half his time here. I am shocked, of course. There has never been any sign of that at all here.”
“I really don’t know them at all,” said another neighbour. “They are very quiet.”
Klingender made a brief court appearance via video Friday afternoon, when his case was rescheduled for Monday. He is being held in custody.
In 2008, Scott received the Charles E. Pascal award for excellence in teaching.