B.C. man sentenced to 13 months for 'horrific' collection of child pornography
A Vancouver Island man has been sentenced to 13 months in jail after he was caught with what a B.C. court judge described as a "horrific" and "sadistic" collection of child pornography.
The images and videos numbered in the hundreds of thousands, spread across six electronic devices.
The 66-year-old man, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, came to the attention of authorities in 2021 after technology giant Microsoft alerted the U.S. National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children that a Microsoft user had uploaded an image that appeared to be child pornography.
In October of that year, police searched the man's home and recovered a trove of "graphic, explicit and disturbing depictions of sexual abuse and sexual assault" involving children as young as five years old, wrote Judge Barbara Flewelling in her sentencing decision.
The perpetrator, a retired father of two with no significant criminal history, "initially believed that watching child pornography was a victimless crime and that it was not real, 'like fiction,'" Flewelling wrote.
"He told his wife that saving all the child pornography was a game and that he initially viewed child pornography by accident. He told his wife he knew it was wrong."
A psychological assessment determined the man is of low to moderate risk to reoffend if he remains engaged in a sex offender treatment program that he enrolled in last June.
"He has developed some insight into the harm that child pornography perpetuates against children," the judge wrote. "He has remorse which he expressed to his wife and to this court at the conclusion of the sentence hearing."
However, the judge cited as aggravating factors the size and of the man's collection and the severity of the images it contained, some of which she described as "sadistic."
"These are horrific videos and images," the judge wrote.
"The makers and distributors of child pornography are in business because they have customers like [him]," she continued.
"The internet has provided an easy way to publish these horrific videos and images and spread them across the globe. It is difficult to investigate, track and find the vast network of those who produce, publish and consume these depictions of the worst sort of child abuse."
The judge sentenced the man to two years of probation following his release from Ford Mountain Correctional Centre in Chilliwack, B.C.
Conditions of his release include that he report in person to his probation officer in Campbell River and have no contact or communication with anyone under 16 years old.
He must also remain on the sex offender registry for 20 years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.