Former children’s ministry exec charged with child pornography
A former executive director with the Ministry of Children and Family Development has been charged with two counts of child pornography.
Edward Berry, 51, will appear in Prince George provincial court on January 28 on one count of accessing child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, said Neil MacKenzie, spokesman for B.C.’s criminal justice branch, on Tuesday.
The offences are alleged to have occurred in Prince George in April of 2014. Berry, a long-serving social worker who has residences in Prince George and Vancouver, was arrested on Dec. 16 at his Vancouver home, said Prince George RCMP.
Berry was released that same night on numerous conditions, including not to have contact with anyone under 16 and not to be in possession of an electronic device with Internet access.
At the time of his arrest, Berry remained an employee with the Ministry of Children and Family Development. According to records, he served as the ministry’s executive director of services in Fort St. John. The ministry said Tuesday that he is no longer with government.
“While I cannot speak to any of the specifics in this circumstance, what I can say is we take this matter very seriously,” said Minister Stephanie Cadieux in a statement. “Our No. 1 priority is always to protect and support children, youth and families.
“I want to assure the public that the ministry sets a high standard when hiring staff and requires criminal record checks for any position that directly delivers services to children and families.”
News of Berry’s arrest sent shock waves through B.C.’s social-worker community. Before his job with the ministry, Berry served on various boards, including the boards of the B.C. College of Social Workers and the Federation of B.C. Youth in Care Networks, respectively. According to an online bio, he has worked in the field of child welfare for 24 years — in Canada, the U.S. and Ireland,
Mounties said they began their investigation in June 2014 but didn’t identify a suspect until December. The investigation, meantime, remains ongoing. The charges don’t appear to involve youth in care, Mounties said.