Dozens of suspects, including two from London, charged in sexual abuse investigations in Ontario
Ontario Provincial Police say they have laid hundreds of charges against 64 people, including two from London, in a series of investigations into child sexual abuse.
Police say the investigations were carried out over 10 days in February and led to the arrest of dozens of suspects accused of making, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
Investigators say the 64 people have been charged with a total of 348 offences, and more than 600 devices have been seized.
A 52 year old and a 40 year old, both from London, a 33 year old from Chatham and three people from Windsor ages 16, 23 and 29, have all been charged.
“In this instance we had two males who were located and arrested, both with jobs. There’s no outward signs of it. It’s not until our investigators do the hard work figuring out where the breadcrumbs on the internet lead us to,” said Det. Sgt Jason Eddy of London Police Service. “Then the warrants and the seizure of devices help us support the charges we’re going to lay.”
The suspects range in age from ages 16 to 67.
Police allege one of the people charged was in possession of 21 terabytes of data containing child sexual abuse material.
“But what really validates all this hard work is finding a child, rescuing a child, and holding an offender to account. That’s what the big payoff is every time. You saw from the provincial strategy media conference that this is what drives us to keep going despite any obstacles and despite how hard it might be,” added Eddy.
They say 34 victims have been identified and 30 children safeguarded.
— With files from CTV News London's Bryan Bicknell and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
Aurora borealis returning to night skies across Canada this Friday: NOAA
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
'All we need is a plug-in and a sink': B.C. helicopter charity delivers health care to remote Canada
Imagine your dentist arriving to help you via chopper. That is the aim of Helicopters Without Borders, a registered charity in B.C. specializing in bringing health care to remote communities, the sort of places you can only access quickly by air or water.
Shell investigating a 'potential cybersecurity incident'
Oil and gas giant Shell says it is investigating a possible cybersecurity 'incident.'
$400K in damages for B.C. woman who had unnecessary mastectomy was 'inordinately high,' court finds
A jury's award of $400,000 to a woman who had a mastectomy after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer has been substantially reduced by B.C.'s highest court, which found the damages were "wholly disproportionate."