Londoners among 31 charged in largest child-porn sweep in ...

31 arrested in child porn sweep: Ont. police http://www.montrealgazette.com/story_print.html?id=1256653&sponsor=1 of 3 2/6/2009 7:12 AM31 arrested in child porn sweep: Ont. policeBY TIFFANY CRAWFORD, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE FEBRUARY 5, 2009Nineteen different Ontario police organizations worked in the "largest co-ordinated effort of its kind" to crack down on Internetchild abuse, Ontario Provincial Police Staff Sgt. Frank Goldsmith said at a new conference in Toronto.Photograph by: Justin Sullivan, Getty ImagesIn a massive province-wide child pornography sweep, Ontario police announced Thursday they havearrested 31 people, including four youths, and charged them with 93 offences.During the investigation, two victims were also rescued — a four-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl,Ontario Provincial Police Staff Sgt. Frank Goldsmith said at a new conference in Toronto.The 31 suspects are all from Ontario and include a 60-year-old man, two 18-year-olds and four peopleunder 18, who can’t be named because they are protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Thecharges stem from a raid carried out across Ontario Wednesday and include offences such as sexualassault, sexual interference and making, distributing and possessing child pornography.Nineteen different Ontario police organizations worked in the “largest co-ordinated effort of its kind” tocrack down on Internet child abuse, Goldsmith said.Ontario Police Commissioner Julian Fantino said: “Today is a great day for children across theprovince. These are real children, these are real crimes and these are real victims.”A four-year-old boy who police say is a victim of child pornography was removed from an Ottawa homeThursday and the child’s 53-year-old father, whose name is being withheld to protect his son’s identity,was charged with making, distributing and possessing child pornography. He was one of only twopeople charged with making child pornography.Ottawa Police Staff Sgt. Monique Perras said the health of the four-year-old boy is not in jeopardy, butshe would not say whether he suffered any injuries.“It’s an ongoing investigation,” she said, adding that police had probable grounds to believe it was inthe child’s best interests for him to be removed from the house, and a further investigation will reveal ifany additional charges will be laid against his father.A second victim, a 12-year-old girl, was rescued from a Burlington home.Fantino said that thanks to better equipment and training, investigators have been able to arrestalleged perpetrators of what he called “appalling” and “unconscionable” sexual acts against children,some as young as infants.“The provincial strategy will stop at nothing to hunt down child predators and eliminate the threat they