Yorkregion.com - Regional News - 2 York Region men arrested <strong>in</strong> prov...http://www.yorkregion.com/pr<strong>in</strong>tarticle/875981 of 1 2/6/2009 7:23 AM2 York Region men arrested <strong>in</strong> prov<strong>in</strong>cewide <strong>child</strong><strong>porn</strong> bustPublished on Feb 05, 2009Two York Region residents are <strong>among</strong>the <strong>31</strong> people swept up <strong>in</strong> the <strong>largest</strong><strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography <strong>in</strong>vestigation <strong>in</strong> the prov<strong>in</strong>ce’s history, the OPP said.Thirty three search warrants were executed, which resulted <strong>in</strong> 93 chargesaga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>31</strong> people.Charges <strong>in</strong>clude, sexual assault, sexual <strong>in</strong>terference, mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>child</strong><strong>porn</strong>ography, make available <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography, distribution of <strong>child</strong><strong>porn</strong>ography and possession of <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography.Two <strong>child</strong> victims have been identified through this <strong>in</strong>vestigation so far,police said.The accused were <strong>charged</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g prov<strong>in</strong>cewide raids Wednesday.Additional arrests are pend<strong>in</strong>g, police said.Among the <strong>charged</strong> are Chad Groves, 24, of Richmond Hill.Mr. Groves faces one count of possession of <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography anddistribution of <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography.He was scheduled to appear <strong>in</strong> Newmarket court today.Alex Fiaoni, 33, of Woodbridge is <strong>charged</strong> with possession of <strong>child</strong><strong>porn</strong>ography and distribution of <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography.He also appeared <strong>in</strong> Newmarket court today.Police from 18 services from across the prov<strong>in</strong>ce were represented at aToronto press conference. The arrests were a response to the creation of aprov<strong>in</strong>cial strategy to combat <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography.Many sexual offenders trade crime <strong>porn</strong>ography images similar to sports fansmight swap baseball cards, police said.Despite the high numbers, studies show police suspect 19 of 20 cases of<strong>child</strong> sexual abuse <strong>in</strong> Canada go undetected.OPP Commissioner Jullian Fant<strong>in</strong>o used the press conference to push for across-Canada sexual abuse registry to help people fight the victimization of<strong>child</strong>ren by <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography on the Internet.“The Internet knows no boundaries,” Mr. Fant<strong>in</strong>o said.— with files from thestar.ca
CRIME: Police st<strong>in</strong>g nabs <strong>child</strong>-<strong>porn</strong> offendershttp://www.<strong>in</strong>sidetoronto.ca/Pr<strong>in</strong>tArticle/6337<strong>31</strong> of 1 2/6/2009 7:23 AMCRIME: Police st<strong>in</strong>g nabs <strong>child</strong>-<strong>porn</strong> offendersOperation <strong>in</strong>volves 33 search warrants, 91 charges aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>31</strong> peopleBy ANDREW SERBAFebruary 05, 2009 3:51 PMThe <strong>largest</strong> co-ord<strong>in</strong>ated police <strong>in</strong>vestigation <strong>in</strong> Ontario has resulted <strong>in</strong> the rescue of two <strong>child</strong>ren and <strong>child</strong>-<strong>porn</strong>ography related charges aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>31</strong> people.At a press conference held on the airport strip <strong>in</strong> Toronto’s west end, police said they executed 33 search warrants this week at locations across Ontario.Raids were conducted “from Thunder Bay to Niagara and from Ottawa to W<strong>in</strong>dsor,” said Det. Staff Sgt. Frank Goldschmidt, the co-ord<strong>in</strong>ator for the Prov<strong>in</strong>cialStrategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse.Separate search warrants executed <strong>in</strong> Toronto resulted <strong>in</strong> the arrest of two people <strong>in</strong> North York.Police “identified and ended the abuse of two <strong>child</strong>ren,” a four-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, Goldschmidt said.The names of two men <strong>charged</strong> <strong>in</strong> the <strong>sweep</strong>, one from Burl<strong>in</strong>gton and one from Ottawa, and the names of the victims were withheld to protect theiridentities.The prov<strong>in</strong>cial strategy was formed <strong>in</strong> August 2006 and <strong>in</strong>cludes the OPP’s Child Exploitation Section and 18 municipal police services.Charges aga<strong>in</strong>st the <strong>31</strong> accused <strong>in</strong>clude mak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography, sexual assault, sexual <strong>in</strong>terference, possession of <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography, distribution of <strong>child</strong><strong>porn</strong>ography, and mak<strong>in</strong>g available <strong>child</strong> <strong>porn</strong>ography.N<strong>in</strong>ety-one charges were laid <strong>in</strong> all. The nature of the offences shocked even veteran police officers.Manager of the OPP’s Sexual Exploitation Section Det. Insp. Andrew Stewart said that throughout most of his 30 years of police work he “thought thathomicides were the worst offence one human could commit aga<strong>in</strong>st another.”“In the past two years of manag<strong>in</strong>g the Child Exploitation Section, I’ve had the opportunity to reth<strong>in</strong>k that,” he said. “The tortuous images identified by ourofficers are beyond what society can imag<strong>in</strong>e. They scar the soul and sear the m<strong>in</strong>d. They leave <strong>child</strong>ren horribly wounded and forever tortured.”OPP Commissioner Julian Fant<strong>in</strong>o told the media he feels the police “are <strong>in</strong> catch-up mode” with crim<strong>in</strong>als who are unfettered by regulations and can use theInternet to meet and perpetrate their crimes.He rema<strong>in</strong>s optimistic, however, that co-ord<strong>in</strong>ated police work can make significant <strong>in</strong>roads.“What has changed today … is our ability to approach this on a united front, work<strong>in</strong>g together across agencies, boarders, jurisdictions and oceans,” Fant<strong>in</strong>osaid. Fant<strong>in</strong>o told the press he was surprised at the age of some of the people <strong>charged</strong> <strong>in</strong> the <strong>sweep</strong>.In a trend that extends beyond <strong>child</strong>-<strong>porn</strong>ography related crimes, offenders are gett<strong>in</strong>g younger, he said.Three people <strong>charged</strong> with <strong>child</strong>-<strong>porn</strong>ography related offences <strong>in</strong> the <strong>sweep</strong> could not be named under the Youth Crim<strong>in</strong>al Justice Act, accord<strong>in</strong>g to police.Staff Insp. Elizabeth Byrnes, of Toronto Police Services Sex Crimes Unit, said the Toronto Police Service is the <strong>largest</strong> municipal member of the prov<strong>in</strong>cialstrategy, with 15 officers dedicated to the Sexual Exploitation Section.With almost 10 years of experience <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>vestigat<strong>in</strong>g crimes on the Internet, she said the Toronto Police Service are a solid resource for the other members ofthe strategy to draw on.Byrnes said the co-operation and the strong relationships formed between police agencies across Ontario is “unheard of,” and the prov<strong>in</strong>cial strategy’sgreatest assets.Fant<strong>in</strong>o also called for a “national, effective and efficient sex-offender registry that would enable us to be even more vigilant.”He po<strong>in</strong>ted at Ontario’s sex-offender registry as a model that would help police extend their efforts if its efficiency could be extended nationally.Police would not give the exact numbers but said that “a couple” of those <strong>charged</strong> are re-offenders. S<strong>in</strong>ce the prov<strong>in</strong>cial strategy began it has seen anannual <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> the number of <strong>in</strong>vestigations it has completed, the number of people arrested and the charges laid, police said.Accord<strong>in</strong>g to police, the sexual abuse of <strong>child</strong>ren is most often perpetrated by a friend, family member or someone who has access to the <strong>child</strong>. The<strong>in</strong>vestigations that resulted <strong>in</strong> yesterday’s raids are ongo<strong>in</strong>g and more charges are pend<strong>in</strong>g, police said.“For those <strong>child</strong>ren wait<strong>in</strong>g to be rescued: we are look<strong>in</strong>g for you,” Stewart said. “Tell someone.”
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