Hundreds of child exploitation charges laid
The results of ‘Project Maverick’ are in — in the month of October, 428 charges were laid against 107 people as it relates to child exploitation.
The results were announced Wednesday by OPP and the 27 policing partners, including the London Police Service.
“During this month-long effort, the London police partnered with the Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom and the Northern Alberta ICE Unit to identify, arrest, and charge three adults alleged to have committed internet based sexual offences targeting children. The local efforts by the London police ICE Unit, as part of the overall provincial strategy, led to the execution of five search warrants and 30 criminal charges,” said Det. Jeremy Dann, LPS Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
As part of the investigation across the province, 168 search warrants were used and 1,032 devices were seized.
Police said a total of 61 victims were identified and referred to appropriate community-based resources for assistance, while an additional 60 children were safeguarded.
Their ages were up to 16 years old, but as young as infants.
“In the instance of a newborn, obviously it was someone who has access to a newborn has exploited that child, and that really speaks to the predatory nature of these offenders. It also speaks to the exploitation of those offenders. It also speaks to the vulnerability of those children. So that’s what I think as a community we really need to show outrage with respect to that,” said Det. Insp. Jordan Whitesell of the OPP Criminal Investigation Services.
Police told CTV News London there is no profile for a suspected offender, and that they come from all walks of life.
In the case of Project Maverick, most of them are men, and the oldest is 86-years-old.
“These numbers are shocking, but they provide hope by showing the lengths our teams are willing to go to protect children. I would like to express gratitude for the hard work of the Provincial Strategy members and our partners, in keeping children in this province safe and holding those who want to harm them accountable,” said OPP Chief Superintendent Kari Dart.
There are still 175 ongoing investigations where additional charges may be laid.
I’ve been a police officer for 22 years, and I know that I will never find anything more rewarding than being involved in a project like this, to help safeguard the children in our community, and to identify those that would prey on those children, and hold them accountable,” said Dann.
— With files from CTV News London's Bryan Bicknell
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.