/CORRECTION from Source -- Ontario Provincial Police/

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/C O R R E C T I O N from Source -- Ontario Provincial Police/
12 Feb 08

In c9110 transmitted today at 1000e, an error occurred in the list of

persons charged. The news release was incorrect in reporting that

Matthew Sankoff, age 29, of Toronto, Ontario was charged with 2 counts of

Luring Under 14, 1 count of Invitation to Sexual Touch, 1 count of

Exposure to person under 14, 1 count of Possession of Child Pornography

and 1 count of Distribution of Child Pornography, when in fact he was not

charged with any offences arising out of this investigation.

You are directed not to make use of the earlier version of this press

release and replace it with this revised version.

The OPP regrets any distress or inconvenience this may have caused.

TORONTO, Feb. 12 /CNW/ - Police services across Ontario have arrested 22 individuals in the largest coordinated child pornography investigations in the history of Ontario.

The investigation and subsequent arrests were carried out by The Provincial Strategy To Protect Children From Sexual Abuse And Exploitation On The Internet. This multi-jurisdictional strategy is made up of the OPP and 18 municipal police services from across Ontario, 14 of which were involved in the sweeping arrests that occurred.

At a news conference today, OPP Commissioner Fantino and Provincial Strategy police partners who were instrumental in conducting this province-wide sweep announced details about the investigation and the resulting charges.

"Today is a great day for children and communities right across the province," Fantino said. "The exploitation of children - by whatever means - is appalling and unconscionable."

"It is appropriate that we are here today, making this announcement on Safer Internet Day," Fantino added. "It is a day recognized in 43 countries world-wide to highlight the need to make the Internet a safe and useful tool for our children to access for both educational and personal use."

The investigation began in January 2008, and revealed a large number of individuals who were using the Internet to distribute images of child sexual abuse.

As a result of the investigation, 25 search warrants were executed in 16 communities across Ontario, resulting in 73 criminal charges being laid.

--

Charges are as follows:

- Jay Hutchinson, age 24, of Hamilton, 1 count of Make Available Child
Pornography, 1 count of Possession of Child Pornography, to appear in
provincial court at 45 Main St., Hamilton, Ontario on Feb. 12, 2008.

- Doug MacDonald, age 50, of Ottawa, 1 count of Possession of Child
Pornography, 1 count of Make Available Child Pornography, to appear
in provincial court at 161 Elgin St., Ottawa, Ontario on February 12,
2008.

- Edwin Morris, age 63, of Burlington, 1 count of Possession of Child
Pornography, 1 count of Access Child Pornography, 1 count Make
Available Child Pornography, to appear in provincial court at 491
Steeles Ave., Milton, Ontario on February 12, 2008.

- Michael E. Shipley, age 31, of Milton, Ontario, 1 count of Possession
of Child Pornography, 1 count of Access Child Pornography, 1 count
Make Available Child Pornography, to appear in provincial court at
491 Steeles Ave., Milton, Ontario on February 12, 2008.

- Thomas Webb, age 56, of Brantford, Ontario, 1 count of Possession of
Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child Pornography, to
appear in provincial court at 44 Queen Street, Brantford, Ontario on
February 12, 2008.

- Wendy Allison Potter, age 28, of Whitby, Ontario, 1 count of
Possession of Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child
Pornography, to appear in provincial court at 242 King St. E.,
Oshawa, Ontario on February 12, 2008.

- Harry James Aseltine, age 57, of Oshawa, Ontario, 1 count of
Possession of Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child
Pornography, 1 count of Possession of a Controlled Substance, to
appear in provincial court at 242 King St. E., Oshawa, Ontario on
February 12, 2008.

- Michael Cherry, age 37, of London, Ontario, 4 counts of Possession of
Child Pornography, 3 counts of Making Available Child Pornography, to
appear in provincial court at 80 Dundas St., London, Ontario on
February 12, 2008.

- Nathan Armstrong, age, 27, of Peterborough, Ontario, 2 counts of
Possession of Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child
Pornography, to appear in provincial court in Peterborough, Ontario
on February, 12, 2008.

- Matthew McDougall, age 20, of Red Lake, Ontario, 2 counts of
Possession of Child Pornography, 1 count of Making Available Child
Pornography, to appear in provincial court at 115 Howey St., Red
Lake, Ontario on February 12, 2008.

- Matthew Brunton, age 22, of Cornwall, Ontario, 1 count of Possession
of Child Pornography, 1 count of Access Child Pornography, appeared
for bail hearing at provincial court, 29 Second St. E., Cornwall,
Ontario on February 11, 2008.

- Guilio Carere, age 46, of Guelph, Ontario, 1 count of Possession of
Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child Pornography, 1 count
of Possession of a Controlled Substance, appeared for bail hearing in
provincial court at 36 Wyndham St. S., Guelph, Ontario on
February 11, 2008.

- Keith Kamenz, age 29, of Guelph, Ontario, 1 count of Possession of
Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child Pornography, appeared
for bail hearing at provincial court, 36 Wyndham St. S., Guelph,
Ontario on February 11, 2008.

- Lawrence Bouillon, age 44, of Espanola, Ontario, 2 counts Possession
of Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child Pornography, 1
count Access Child Pornography, 1 count Possession of a controlled
substance, to appear in provincial court at 155 Elm Street, Sudbury,
Ontario on February 12, 2008.

- Eric Brown, age 25, of Brampton, Ontario, 1 count Possession of Child
Pornography, 1 count of Make Available Child Pornography, 1 count of
Access Child Pornography, to appear in provincial court at 7755
Hurontario St., Brampton, Ontario on February 12, 2008.

- Michael Avison, age 33, of Mississauga, Ontario, 1 count Possession
of Child Pornography, 1 count of Make Available Child Pornography, 1
count of Access Child Pornography, to appear in provincial court at
7755 Hurontario St., Brampton, Ontario on February 12, 2008.

- Stephen Burritt, age 39, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, 1 count of
Possession of Child Pornography, 1 count Make Available Child
Pornography, 1 count of Distribution of Child Pornography, 1 count of
Possession of Child Pornography For The Purpose Of Distribution, 5
counts of Unsafe Storage of Firearm, 1 count of Unsafe Storage of
Ammunition, 1 count of Knowingly Posess A Prohibited Firearm Without
Authorization, 1 count of Possession of Prohibited Firearm.

- Karl Herman, age 64, of Cambridge, Ontario, 1 count of Possession of
Child Pornography, 1 count of Make Available Child Pornography, to
appear in provincial court at 200, Frederick St., Kitchener, Ontario
on Feb. 12, 2008.

- Nicola Sisi, age 26, of Toronto, Ontario, 2 counts of Luring Under
14, 1 count of Invitation to Sexual Touch, 1 count of Exposure to
person under 14, 1 count of Possession of Child Pornography, 1 count
of Distribution of Child Pornography.

- Glenn Albert Laurin, age 45, of Toronto, Ontario, 1 count of
Possession of Child Pornography, 1 count of Make Available Child
Pornography, to appear in provincial court tomorrow for bail hearing
on February 11, 2008 in provincial court at 444 Yonge St., Toronto,
Ontario.

- Leonard Legros, age 60, of Ottawa, Ontario, 1 count of Possession of
Child Pornography, 1 count of Making Available Child Pornography, to
appear in provincial court at 161 Elgin St., Ottawa, Ontario, on
Feb. 12, 2008.

- One young offender from Hamilton, Ontario who cannot be named under
the Youth Criminal Justice Act has also been charged with 1 count of
Possession of Child Pornography.

Additional arrests are pending and the investigation is continuing.



Backgrounder

PROVINCIAL STRATEGY TO PROTECT CHILDREN
FROM SEXUAL ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION
ON THE INTERNET

- The Provincial Strategy To Protect Children From Sexual Abuse And
Exploitation On The Internet was created in response to the McGuinty
government's request that Ontario police develop a coordinated
province-wide approach to combating Internet crimes against children.

- The stated goal of the Strategy was for the province to respond to
this growing issue as a cohesive, united team, rather than having
each municipal police force develop different approaches to deal with
child pornography, luring and child sexual abuse on the Internet.

- Police Services in Ontario, through the Ontario Association of Chiefs
of Police (OACP) and the OPP, subsequently developed a systematic,
victim-driven, all-encompassing approach to the prevention of child
sexual abuse and exploitation on the Internet.

- The Provincial Strategy aims to effectively address the "complete
picture" of child sexual abuse and exploitation - from the outset of
an investigation, to offender apprehension and management, effective
prosecution and sentencing, victim identification and support, as
well as prevention and awareness.

- Prior to the Provincial Strategy, there was no mechanism in place for
the vital coordination of intelligence, investigative support and
information sharing that is now possible through the Provincial
Strategy.

- The Provincial Strategy was introduced in August, 2006 and comprises
a provincial team of police partners.

- The OPP Child Pornography Section of the Investigation Bureau heads
and administers the Provincial Strategy and has formed a Joint
Management Team that is made up of senior officers from the OPP, 18
police services, the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional
Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

- From April 1 to December 31, 2007, the Provincial Strategy completed
1,515 investigations and laid 539 charges.

- The 18 police services include: Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional
Police, Halton Regional Police Service, Hamilton Police Service,
Niagara Regional Police Service, Brantford Police Service, Guelph
Police Service, Waterloo Regional Police Service, London Police
Service, Windsor Police Service, Barrie Police Service, York Regional
Police, Durham Regional Police Service, Kingston Police, Ottawa
Police Service, Greater Sudbury Police Service, Sault Ste. Marie
Police Service and Thunder Bay Police Service.


Fact Sheet

Child Pornography and Child Sexual Abuse
and Exploitation on the Internet

What it is:

- Child pornography is the sexual abuse of children - these are real
children and this is a real crime against the most vulnerable members
of our society.

- Child pornography is a criminal offence that involves victimizing
children through sexual abuse.

What it is not:

- Child pornography is not merely an image-based offence, or an offence
against the standards of society, or a censorship issue.

- Child sexual abuse is not "someone else's problem".

Other facts:

- Collections of child sexual abuse images in circulation on the
Internet involve hundreds of thousands of images and hundreds of
child rape videos.

- Internet child sexual abuse is an international problem with
international predators and victims, many of which are here in
Ontario.

- The child victims are increasingly younger and the images are more
violent, in response to a growing appetite for live streaming of
child sexual abuse on the Internet. Ontarians should be concerned
about this emerging trend.

- Often mistaken as victimless or merely image-based offences, most
child pornography/luring offences in Ontario involve the actual
sexual exploitation, rape and sexual torture of children, including
infants, on camera.

- Such cases include images of penetrative sexual activity between
adults and very young children and infants, sexual bondage of
children, bestiality and increasingly "live" web-cam streaming of
real-time abuse of infants and children.

- Those who possess or collect child pornography have a hand in child
sexual abuse and are party to the sexual assault.

- Possessors of child pornography have a very high propensity to be
hands-on abusers, and studies from the United States indicate that
anywhere from approximately 30 percent to 80 percent of collectors of
child sexual abuse images are hands-on abusers.

- Studies also indicate that these abusers have anywhere from 13 to 30
child victims each.

- Only 1 in 10 adults report sexual assault and sadly, the sexual
assault of children reporting statistics are much less.

- Canadian studies suggest that 19 out of 20 cases of child sexual
abuse go undetected.

- When it comes to child pornography and child sexual abuse, Ontarians
need to adopt the philosophy that "we cannot afford to be a society
of bystanders".

- Knowledge of child pornography and child sexual abuse is everyone's
business and responsibility to report.

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