Toronto Police Lay Over 100 Additional Charges in Joint Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Investigation
Toronto Police are providing an update on a child sexual abuse and exploitation investigation that led to the rescue of four children in the Philippines and more than 100 additional charges laid against a 42-year-old man from Hamilton.
Watch the media conference here.
In April 2025, with the assistance of the Child Rescue Coalition (CRC), the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre (NCECC) - Transnational Child Sex Offender Unit (TCSO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and FINTRAC, the Toronto Police Service began an investigation into the livestream sexual abuse of children.
That month, during an RCMP NCECC-led operation in Ottawa, in partnership with HSI, investigators identified an individual in Canada who was allegedly paying for and directing the livestream sexual abuse of children in the Philippines. A Canadian investigation was launched into the suspected buyer.
At the same time, the RCMP NCECC TCSO Unit and the Liaison Officer in Manila, Philippines, supported a parallel investigation into the alleged facilitator in the Philippines. In partnership with the Netherlands Police, investigators were able to determine the identity of the Canadian sending money to the alleged facilitator in the Philippines.
In October 2025, the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation Human Trafficking Division (NBI HTRAD) carried out an operation involving the facilitator, resulting in the rescue of four children. As a result of this operation, further information on the alleged Canadian buyer became available.
As part of the Canadian investigation, on March 25, 2026, members of the Toronto Police Internet Child Exploitation Unit executed a Criminal Code search warrant in the area of Kenilworth Avenue North and Cannon Street East in Hamilton. It is alleged that a quantity of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material was located during the search.
See excerpt from previous news release published on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
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Stephen Tolys, 42, of Hamilton, has been arrested and charged with:
- Make arrangement/agreement with a person to commit the offence of Make Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material with respect to another person who is, or the accused believes is under the age of 18
- Make Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
- two counts of Access Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
- two counts of Possess Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
He was scheduled to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre, 2201 Finch Avenue West, on Wednesday, March 26, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., in room 107.
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After further investigation, investigators have laid 130 additional charges on the accused, bringing the total number of charges to 136.
Stephen Tolys, 42, of Hamilton, is now charged with:
- two counts Possess Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
- 49 counts Access Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
- 29 counts Make Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
- six counts Make Arrangements/Agreement to Commit the Offence of Sexual Assault with Respect to a Person Under 18
- 11 counts of Obtain for Consideration or Communicate with Anyone for the Purpose of Obtaining for Consideration the Sexual Services of a Person Under the age is 18
- 14 counts Make Arrangement/Agreement with a Person to Commit the Offence of Obtain for Consideration or Communicate with Anyone for the Purpose of Obtaining for Consideration the Sexual Services of a Person Under the age of 18
- ten counts Make Arrangement/Agreement with a Person to Commit the Offence of Make Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
- 11 counts Make Arrangement/Agreement with a Person to Commit the Offence of Sexual Exploitation with Respect to Another Person who is, or Believed to be Under the age of 18
- three counts Make Available Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Material
- Make Arrangement/Agreement with a Person to Commit the Offence of Sexual Interference with Respect to Another Person who is or Believed to be Under the age of 16
He is scheduled to appear in court at the Ontario Court of Justice, 10 Armoury Street, on Friday, July 31, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., in room 201.
“Child sexual exploitation doesn't stop at borders, and neither can our investigations,” said Inspector Keri Fernandes of the Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit. “Cases like this depend on strong partnerships and information-sharing between agencies around the world. When those partners come together, we can identify offenders, protect children, and hold people accountable.”
It is alleged that Stephen Tolys was using the following usernames on various social media platforms:
- Tupac101
- Steve101
- Steve-o
- Jumpinjacks666
- Mighty
- Mightymann66
Police are concerned there may be more victims and would like to speak with anyone who has been communicating with Tolys utilizing any of the usernames listed above. An image of the accused has also been released. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-8500.
“The RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre is committed to protecting children from internet-facilitated sexual exploitation, both in Canada and around the world,” says Chief Superintendent Kimberli Hopkins, Director General, Sensitive and Specialized Investigative Services of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. “Through our Transnational Child Sex Offender Unit, our Liaison Officer in Manila, Philippines and strong partnerships with international and domestic law enforcement, we investigate Canadians suspected of committing offences against children abroad, including those involved in livestream child sexual abuse. This borderless crime requires coordinated action, and we commend the Toronto Police Service for their work in this case. We remain dedicated to supporting investigations and identifying and safeguarding victims globally.”
The Toronto Police Service would like to thank all its partners who contributed to this investigation, including the RCMP, HSI, FINTRAC, the Child Rescue Coalition, the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation, and the Netherlands Police.
The Toronto Police Service recognizes that parents and caregivers are the frontline when it comes to protecting children on the Internet and electronic devices. We encourage you to remain vigilant in your efforts – the safety tips outlined below are recommended for children of any age.
Reporting of any online exploitation can also be made at Canada’s National Tipline for Reporting the Online Sexual Exploitation of Children at cybertip.ca.
This project has been made possible by a grant from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
There are also resources available through the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for those who have a sexual interest in children. The new Talking for Change program is the first of its kind in Canada and provides national and all-ages help for those concerned about their risk to use child sexual exploitation material or offend sexually against a child.
Two Quinte men arrested in child exploitation police investigation
A 45-year-old Belleville man as well as a 37-year-old Quinte man face numerous charges, according to the Ontario Provincial Police who worked with 25 police services including in Belleville.
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Two Quinte men were among dozens of people charged in a sweeping police investigation across the province involving child exploitation and child sex abuse cases.
A 45-year-old Belleville man as well as a 37-year-old Quinte man face numerous charges, according to the Ontario Provincial Police who worked with 25 police services including in Belleville.
As many as 63 people were arrested overall across Ontario and charged for alleged crimes against 51 victims, said police.
The Belleville man faces charges including:
Possession of Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Material x2
Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Material x2
Making Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Material x2
Careless Storage of a firearm
Unauthorized Possession of a Restricted Weapon
Knowledge of possession of an unauthorized firearm
Possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with Ammunition.
The Quinte West man is charged with:
Possession of Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Material x2
Accessing Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Material.
He was held in custody and is scheduled to appear in court August 13.
Craswell sentenced to 7.5 years for child sex abuse offences — in P.E.I. schools and online
Former substitute found to be twice as likely as others to reoffend without treatment
Matthew Craswell, the substitute teacher who has been dubbed a "predator" after he sexually touched students in Prince Edward Island classrooms and exploited his own relationship with another child to create child sex abuse material, has been sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison.
Justice Gregory Cann handed down his decision Monday morning. At a sentencing hearing in the spring, the Crown argued for a sentence closer to a decade, while the defence requested a little more than four years.
“I find it difficult to imagine a higher degree of moral blameworthiness in the context of these offences than that which I believe must be attributed to Mr. Craswell,” Justice Cann told the courtroom in reading his decision from the bench.
“Mr. Craswell engaged in carefully planned and deliberate actions, which cumulatively constituted the offences. While some took more time and care to plan than others, none were reflexive or spontaneous.”
Craswell was in the courtroom Monday. He wore grey pants and a navy blue T-shirt, with shackles at his wrists and ankles.
The unravelling
Craswell was first arrested in the summer of 2024 after he uploaded a file to a website that was flagged as child sex abuse material — formerly called child pornography.
The tip was passed on to the P.E.I. RCMP, who went to Craswell’s Cornwall home and seized his computer, hard drives and devices.
At the time, he was charged with both possessing and distributing child pornography. Months later, however, an analysis showed some of the files of a young child’s genitals on Craswell’s devices were original photos Craswell had taken himself.
That victim is known to Craswell, and the parents were able to identify their child based on the underwear and clothing they were wearing in the images.
Around the same time, officials within P.E.I. 's English-language school board were connecting the dots: the man accused of having this material on his computer was also a substitute teacher with the Public School’s Branch (PSB) — and there had been two complaints about his classroom behaviour.
In 2023, a parent at West Kent Elementary School in Charlottetown complained to the school about an incident involving her child. During a round of a made-up game called "hide the ruler," Craswell “took the rulers out of her pants pocket and, at the same time, touched the area of her breasts and her vagina,” an agreed statement of facts later read.
School leadership never reported the incident to the police, even though the parent believed they had. West Kent administration tried to contact Craswell, but were not successful, so he was marked as "do not call" on the school's substitute list.
Craswell was then rehired as a substitute for the next school year, where he went on to sexually touch another student during a classroom game at Glen Stewart Primary School in Stratford in the spring of 2024.
That incident was also not reported to police until after the first allegations against Craswell emerged. He was also allowed to continue teaching because the PSB did not believe Craswell’s touching of the students was sexual.
The case sent a shock through P.E.I.'s school system and the provincial government when the details first came to light.
The premier apologized on the floor of the legislature, the PSB "parted ways" with a senior leader, a third-party review led by a former P.E.I. chief justice was commissioned to look into the handling of the incidents, and new incident tracking systems and a sexual misconduct policy have been brought into place.
While the third-party review by commissioner David Jenkins found the school authorities did not mishandle complaints and that sexual misconduct was not rampant in Island schools, Jenkins said the PSB needed more resources to do its job and called Craswell a "wolf in sheep's clothing" and a predator.
Keep reading this story on CBC at:
Breach of trust doesn't 'scratch the surface,' justice says
Former Nunavut teacher accused of sexually abusing children returns to court for 3rd trial
The charges facing Johnny Meeko date back to the 1970s in Sanikiluaq
A former teacher from Sanikiluaq, Nunavut who has been accused of sexually abusing children is back in court.
Johnny Meeko, now in his 70s, was first arrested in 2012. His charges date back as far as the 1970s when he taught elementary school students in Sanikiluaq.
After 15 years of litigation and two trials, Meeko’s case is still in front of Nunavut courts. This will now be his third trial for the same charges.
Meeko’s lawyer Matthew Shadley appeared in court on his behalf on Monday asking for an adjournment as details on the locations of the trial and Meeko’s bail application are being “ironed out.”
In 2018, Nunavut Chief Justice Neil Sharkey found him guilty of 27 counts of abuse and sentenced him to eight years in prison.
Meeko appealed and in 2021 the Nunavut Court of Appeal sided with him and overturned the conviction over procedural errors.
In 2023 a new trial began which included three weeks of testimony from 11 complainants in which Meeko was convicted again.
During the sentencing, Meeko said he had a “vision” from God who told him he would make his accusers “vanish.”
God doesn't do magic tricks!
Justice Paul Bychok described Meeko as a “lifelong pedophile” and sentenced him to 29 years in prison.
Meeko appealed again, and once more the conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered.
Both justices Sharkey and Bychok have since retired from the Nunavut bench.
Shadley, Meeko's lawyer, said the scheduling of the new trial has been delayed as the prosecution office has been trying to find a conflict Crown — a special prosecutor who will be brought in from outside Nunavut to avoid conflict of interest.
Over the years Meeko has fired multiple of his defence lawyers including some, who have since moved to the prosecution office.
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