A 35-year-old man from Bonnyville was arrested by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit following an investigation and allegations he distributed a nude photo of his young daughter.
ALERT arrested the suspect on April 6 with the assistance of the Bonnyville RCMP.
The investigation began in September 2015 after tips came in from both RCMP British Columbia ICE and the United States’ Georgia Bureau of Investigation. ALERT believes that the accused shared and distributed child pornography online, and at least one photo included his daughter.
The accused’s name is not being provided in order to protect the identity of the victim. The accused’s family members are receiving support from Child and Family Services and the Zebra Child Protection Centre.
The accused has been charged with following criminal offences:
- Accessing child pornography (x 2);
- Distributing child pornography (x 2);
- Possessing child pornography;
- Making child pornography.
“The reality is that these offences do occur more frequently than many realize. Small towns are not immune to this problem and we will to work collaboratively with ALERT to address it and bring justice to those who victimize children in this manner,” said S/Sgt. Luis Gandolfi with the Bonnyville RCMP.
ALERT is an integrated team consisting of Edmonton Police Service and RCMP members, and investigates offences involving child pornography, any computer-related child sexual abuse, child luring over the Internet, voyeurism involving victims under the age of 18, and child sex trade/tourism.
Anyone with information about this investigation, or any child exploitation offence is encouraged to contact police or cybertip.ca.