Phuket Gazette: Canadian authorities arrest 60 in child porn bust

– World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

PHUKET (News Wires): Canadian authorities have arrested and charged 60 men this week in connection with a major, ongoing investigation into child pornography offenses in Ontario, police announced yesterday.

A total of 76 search warrants have been executed so far, resulting in the arrests of 60 males between the ages of 16 and 69. Police have laid 213 charges for the alleged possession, making, distributing and accessing child pornography. Charges for some also include luring a child and counseling to commit an indictable crime – not committed.

“This is one of the largest co-ordinated efforts of its kind in Ontario,” Det.-Sgt. Frank Goldschmidt of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said, adding that additional arrests are pending. He said police from Windsor, London, Niagara, Toronto, Barrie, Sudbury and Ottawa participated in the sweep.

“I’m also gratified to report that 22 victims have been identified,” he added.

Police have released few details about the operation, and could not say if the men were operating as a ring. Law enforcement officials said they have identified 8,940 individual IP addresses which are suspected to have downloaded child pornography in the last three months in Ontario alone.

“Every child has the right to be nurtured and the right to be safe,” said OPP Acting Commissioner Scott TOD. “Child pornography is the sexual abuse of children. Every image of child pornography represents a child victim. Every trading or transmission of that image represents a re-victimization of that child.”

Goldschmidt said child pornography is believed to be one of the only crimes which is still on a fairly substantial increase. Canadian police say collections of child pornography on the internet involve hundreds of thousands of images and hundreds of videos, with an increased demand for live streamed child porn.