A 50-year-old Edmonton man was scheduled to appear in court in Thompson on Sept. 11 in connection with child pornography charges and sexual offences committed against family members while living in Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
The accused, whose name is not being released to protect the identities of the alleged victims, who were all known relatives of his, was arrested Aug. 31 by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) internet child exploitation (ICE) unit with the assistance of the Edmonton Police Service and RCMP. A six-month investigation that began in March, when the man allegedly uploaded child pornography on the internet, identified four child victims in the three provinces. The accused was first arrested last March 21, when he was charged with one count of possessing child pornography and two counts of distribution of child pornography.
The man's case was prioritized because it appeared the images were homemade. The offences allegedly took place in Edmonton, Manitoba and Nova Scotia over a period of several years while the victims were young children. Charges relating to the Edmonton incidents – including sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference – were previously laid while the man was in custody.
The Aug. 31 arrest was for warrants issued in Manitoba and Nova Scotia, where the man faces charges for sexual assault, sexual interference, touching for sexual purposes, bestiality and child pornography offences.
"This was a very troubling and challenging investigation," said ALERT ICE unit member Det. Ian McFatridge in a YouTube video announcing the arrest. "It entailed a number of sickening sexual offences. This was one of the more disturbing files I've worked on since I've been with the unit. There's obviously a real break of trust when you’re dealing with family members. It's heinous material."
