SELECTED CASE LAW

NEW BRUNSWICK:

2014 NBCA 71

In 2014 NBCA 71, a 41-year-old trusted elected municipal officer, pastor, community activist, and out-reach worker – who worked with underprivileged youth and acted as a foster parent – pleaded guilty to 46 offences including: child pornography offences, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, child luring, sexual assault and extortion against young boys, including one of his foster children.

A police investigation into online child exploitation led to Mr. S’s collection of thousands of unique child pornography images and evidence of other abuse. The police were able to identify 17 young boys in their investigation.

Beyond his collection of child pornography, Mr. S engaged in a campaign of abuse. Mr. S al-lowed young boys to consume alcohol and marijuana and engage in sexual activity at his home, including him sexually abusing the boys himself. The boys were between 6 and 15 years old, and some were paid for their sexual activity. He also used the internet to live stream his sexual offences and to view young boys acting sexually, videotaped their sexual activity, and used images he had of the boys to extort them. At times he posed as a teen girl to engage boys in sexual chats online and obtain sexual images and to extort more images from them. His interactions with them show a callous disregard for the boys and their well-being and an abuse of his position of power and trust. One child was ostracized from his social group for complaining of the abuse and he was not believed.

He was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment, which was on the high end of the spectrum of sentences for this type of offence, but the sentence was affirmed as reasonable upon appeal, largely due to the court’s belief that adult sexual predators of children should pay a “heavy price” for their offences.

Also see: 2013 NBPC 17 (Sentencing).

 

Criminal Offence(s): Sexual Assault