Jail term extended due to child porn

A Mackenzie man has been sentenced to a further eight months in jail on child pornography charges brought against him while he was serving time for two other sex-related offences.

Christopher Jacob Pronk, 32, was also sentenced to three years probation upon completion of his time in jail and will be prohibited for 20 years from frequenting playgrounds, schools and other facilities where minors tend to congregate.

Charges of possessing and accessing child pornography were brought against him while he was serving a 21-month term on counts of sexual interference and sexual touching committed against two girls in the community north of Prince George. While being processed at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, Pronk told an intake officer he possessed a collection.

RCMP were notified and, in turn, executed a search warrant on his home where police found 45,000 images and 600 videos depicting child pornography, all in a form of animation known as hentai. Evidence of a comparatively smaller collection of live images was also found in the recycle bin of his computer.

Pronk pleaded guilty to the counts at the earliest opportunity, the court heard, but there were delays related to putting together a police report to Crown prosecution. As a result, Pronk has remained in custody since he finished his previous sentence in February. In all, he was sentenced to 21 months in jail on the child porn counts but received credit of 13 months for time served prior to sentencing, or 1 1/2 days for each day he has been in custody since the previous term ended.

According to a pre-sentence report, Pronk has cognitive difficulties and presents as a young teenager. He has also shown a “complete lack of insight” into his crimes, and has twice failed to successfully complete a sexual offender treatment program. He has been diagnosed as a pedophile with an attraction to young girls and poses a high risk to re-offend, the court was told.

However, Pronk has said he wants to try the program again and in sentencing him on Wednesday, provincial court judge Susan Mengering recommended he be sent to Ford Mountain Correctional Centre where the program is delivered.