B.C. man among eight charged in Ontario
child sexual exploitation sting
BY SIMON LITTLE GLOBAL NEWS
Seven men from Ontario and a man from Abbotsford, B.C. have been charged following a police sting focused on child sexual exploitation.
The B.C. man, Danny DePew, has a lengthy criminal record, including sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a person with a disability, assault, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, break and enter and causing a disturbance.
He has been the subject of several public warnings from the Calgary Police Service after he was released into the area after serving an 18-month sentence for breaching his peace bond.
British Columbia court records also show him facing a charge of child luring related to an offence allegedly committed in Abbotsford on Aug. 6, 2019.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say the men are facing a total of 36 charges, following the joint investigation between the department’s Child Sexual Exploitation Unit and the Peterborough Police Service.
Officers posed as children in online chatrooms and social media over a three-day period in order to find people looking to sexually exploit kids in Peterborough, Ontario.
Investigators communicated with 36 people beyond a simple introduction, including making clear their undercover persona was well outside the legal age of consent.
The conversations also included inappropriate sexual communications, police said.
About a third of the suspects were identified, located and arrested, police said.
Six of the men were taken into custody when they arrived at a location to meet what they thought was a child for a sexual purpose. One of them had driven more than 290 kilometres believing he would have sexual contact with a child, according to police.
Two others were tracked down purely through online investigation, police added.
One of the men was arrested not long after completing a 10-year-term on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry, police said.
Charges range from possession of child pornography and making sexually explicit material available to a child to luring a person under 16.
Charged are:
Leonard Razon, 21, of Scarborough, Ontario
Steven Macdonald, 36, of Delta, Ontario
William Bell, 55, of Shannonville, Ontario
Chris Parish, 49, of Selwyn Township, Ontario
Joshua Burgoyne, 40, of Courtice, Ontario
Jordan Cobb, 36, of Simcoe Ontario,
Nathan Johnson, 38, of Omemee Ontario
Danny Edward DePew, 52, of Abbotsford B.C.
© 2019 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Two international students arrested on sexual assault charges at Ontario private school
Mariam Matti
CTVNews.ca Writer
TORONTO -- Two international students have been arrested on sexual assault charges following an investigation by Niagara police at an Ontario private school.
Police say two males, who are under the age of 16, from Ridley College in St. Catharines surrendered themselves to detectives in the child abuse unit on Wednesday.
The pair was arrested and charged on allegations of sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon and sexual assault party to the offence.
According to police, the alleged crimes took place between September 2018 and August 2019 and the alleged victim is male and under the age of 16.
Police started their investigation in December 2019 after being contacted by Ridley College.
Detectives conducted multiple interviews regarding “the on campus conduct of multiple youths,” according to a press release.
Investigators are asking anyone with more information to contact them at 905-688-4111, extension 5100.
There's a lot more information missing from this report than is included. Perhaps there will be more later.
UPDATE: Gordon Stuckless, Maple Leaf Gardens
Prolific Sex Offender, Released On Parole
Prolific Sex Offender, Released On Parole
The 70-y/o sexually abused at least 18 boys over three decades
Stuckless died of a brain hemorrhage on April 9th, 2020
Stuckless died of a brain hemorrhage on April 9th, 2020
Paola Loriggio The Canadian Press
Gordon Stuckless makes his way to a courthouse in Toronto on April 22, 2014. The former volunteer hockey coach is said to be following a chemical castration plan to reduce his sex drive. ...
CHRIS YOUNG/THE CANADIAN PRESS
The man at the heart of the Maple Leaf Gardens sexual abuse scandal has been released on day parole after officials found he presents a low risk of reoffending.
A document released by the Parole Board of Canada shows Gordon Stuckless was released to a halfway house in December 2019 for a period of up to six months on the condition that he adheres to a number of rules.
Those rules include avoiding male children under 18 and disclosing any relationships with adults who have male children, as well as following a treatment plan that includes chemical castration.
“There is no reliable or persuasive information to suggest that you committed any offences since 1995 and this is a significant factor in the board’s assessment of your risk today,” the parole board panel wrote in its decision.
“This is likely due to the courageous actions of the victims, stepping forward to tell their stories and exposing the breadth and depth of your decades of offending,” it wrote.
“To your credit, you also began to finally receive professional help for your sexual deviancy,” it continued. “Most importantly in the board’s view, for decades you’ve remained compliant with sex drive reducing medication.”
Stuckless’s most recent psychological assessment indicates he shows a low risk for sexual recidivism, the panel said, adding it believes a “slow and gradual transition” back into the community is required.
The 70-year-old told the panel he has no plans to work as he considers himself retired, and will rely on his pension instead, the document says.
Stuckless was sentenced in 2016 to six-and-a-half years behind bars — six after credit for his time on house arrest — for more than 100 offences related to the sexual abuse of 18 boys over three decades.
That sentence was increased to a decade after Ontario’s highest court found the initial penalty was “demonstrably unfit” given the severity of his crimes.
The appeal court was split on the matter, however, and Stuckless’s lawyer, Ari Goldkind, says he is seeking leave to challenge the ruling before the Supreme Court of Canada.
The case at issue concerns abuse that took place from the mid-60s to the mid-80s.
Winnipeg man sentenced to 2 years in jail for
possession of child pornography
Sarah Petz · CBC News
A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to two years in jail for possessing images showing child sexual abuse that were uploaded to Facebook.
Wade Arthur Herbert, 57, pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of child pornography in provincial court Wednesday.
According to the statement of facts, the charge stems from an image of child sexual abuse that was uploaded to Facebook in November 2018. Facebook reported the image to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the U.S., which in turn alerted police.
Winnipeg police executed a search warrant at Herbert's apartment in April 2019 after their investigation linked the IP address of the image to his home. He turned himself in to police about a week later.
An analysis of his laptop found 595 different images of child sexual abuse, some with girls as young as infants, Crown prosecutor Melissa Hazelton told the court. A total of 1,128 images were found on the laptop, though many of them were duplicates, she said.
This was not the first time Herbert had contact with police regarding images showing child sexual abuse, Hazelton said.
A year prior to his arrest, police went to Herbert's home to speak with him because they had been notified about an image of child sexual abuse uploaded to a chat site that was linked to his IP address.
At the time, Herbert admitted to seeing images of child pornography, but denied sharing any, Hazelton told the court. He allowed officers to search his computer at the time.
While police didn't find images of child sexual abuse at the time, they did notice he was running a software program to clear his browser history, Herbert said.
Addressing Herbert, Judge Robert Heinrichs stressed the devastating impact of child sexual abuse imagery on its victims, noting that many feel they can never escape what was done to them.
"That's what happens and you were a part of it," he said.
Former B.C. lifeguard known as 'Eddie Spaghetti'
sent to prison for child sex crimes
CBC News
A longtime lifeguard from Summerland, B.C., is headed to prison after pleading guilty to multiple sex crimes against children.
Edward Casavant, 55, was sentenced Monday to a total of six years behind bars on charges of sexual exploitation, voyeurism, possessing child pornography and making child pornography, according to the B.C. Prosecution Service.
With credit for time already served, he has five years left in his sentence.
Casavant worked as a lifeguard and aquatic centre supervisor in Summerland for more than 30 years beginning in the 1980s and was known as "Eddie Spaghetti" around the pool.
When he was arrested last year, investigators said they believed Casavant had used his position to get access to school-aged children. Summerland Mayor Toni Boot described the charges as "deeply upsetting."
Casavant was originally charged with 10 criminal counts. including sexual assault but eventually pleaded guilty to four counts.
Court finds Mormon church blocked Alberta police investigation into sex abuse of young girls in 1980s
Meghan Grant · CBC News
A 51-year-old man who can't be identified because of a court order was convicted last week of sexually assaulting children in the 1980s. (Lethbridge Courts, Google Street View )
More than 30 years ago, the Mormon church participated in the cover-up of the sexual assault of several young girls in southern Alberta, instructing the abuser not to go to police, according to an Alberta judge who has rendered a decision in the case.
These findings are laid out in the decision of Lethbridge Justice Johnna Kubik, who convicted the now 51-year-old man on two counts of sexual assault.
The abuse took place over a seven-year period between 1986 and 1993 when his victims were between the ages of eight and 13 years old.
The assaults included touching, oral sex and digital penetration.
A publication ban is in place on the man's identity in order to protect his victims. CBC News will call him M.
1987 confession
While on a mission with the Mormon church in 1987, M said he became overwhelmed by guilt regarding the abuse and confessed to a mission president as well as a bishop.
The two church leaders directed M to write letters of apology.
"The Accused was specifically advised by church authorities not to report the matter to police," Kubik wrote in her decision.
Eventually, M became a bishop in southern Alberta but never disclosed the sexual assaults to his stake president "because he had already dealt with these matters previously and had been told to forget them and to move on."
M "had no doubt in his mind that he was worthy to be a bishop," the judge wrote.
"His testimony in court demonstrated his view that the matter was closed for discussion; that he had paid the price already."
Victim reports M to police
But in 2016, when she learned M held a leadership role within the church, one of the women feared he would victimize other children and reported him to police.
At that time, he was removed as a bishop.
Earlier this year, M was convicted of similar offences for committing crimes as a youth against three child victims. He was sentenced to two months in jail to be served on weekends.
What? No gold watch and pension? Two months, on weekends, and I'll bet most of those weekends the jails were full and he was told to go home. Canadian justice is something to behold!
This summer, M was tried as an adult for further crimes.
In finding him guilty of sexually assaulting two victims, Kubik said she was left with reasonable doubt and acquitted M on a charge relating to the third woman.
M admitted to the abuse of one of the victims, denied all abuse in connection with another and denied he'd assaulted the other after he turned 18.
Kubik will hear sentencing arguments from prosecutors Erin Olsen and Dawn Janecke as well as defence lawyer Robert Bissett in the new year.
M remains out on bail.
Judge Kubik, please don't insult (read: re-abuse) the victims by sentencing him to a few weekends in jail. The man needs to be taken off the streets for a significant period of time. His superiors who told him not to go to the police also need to be held accountable.
Records reveal 20 Manitoba teachers suspended for misconduct, including 14 convicted of sexual offences
Teachers' records aren't made public in Manitoba;
Canadian Centre for Child Protection wants that to change
Austin Grabish · CBC News
When a teacher has their teaching certificate cancelled or suspended in Manitoba, that information is not automatically made public — even in cases involving criminal matters. (CBC)
At least 20 teachers have been disciplined by Manitoba's Education Ministry since 2016 for serious offences — the bulk of which were criminal in nature and include sexual touching, possession of child pornography, luring a child and sexual assault, CBC News has learned.
Not included in those 20 cases is one from 2017 that involved a high school teacher convicted of physically assaulting a student. That teacher was allowed to return to work at the rural Manitoba school where the assault happened, despite pleas from the child's father.
"This is likely the tip of the iceberg because ... the criminal cases are going to be a small, small spectrum of the overall issues that might be going on," said Monique St. Germain, general counsel for the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
"But that's not to suggest that we in any way think that the sexual abuse of students is widespread and happening in every school."
"Where there is honey, there will be flies!"
Of the 20 cases of teachers who were sanctioned by the ministry from 2016 to September of last year, 14 involved criminal charges that were sexual in nature. Six involved professional misconduct, which the province won't elaborate on, citing privacy legislation.
It's not clear how many of the 14 cases involving criminal charges also involved students, or if the incidents that led to the charges happened inside or outside the school system.
Ten of those cases have led to teachers losing their teaching certificates permanently. In the other cases, the certificates were suspended — indefinitely in some instances.
3 new cases this school year
The 20 cases came to light in documents obtained through a freedom of information request. Since CBC obtained the records, three more cases of misconduct have been reported to the province that may be subject to disciplinary action, according to a provincial spokesperson.
Two of those three teachers have been criminally charged and allegations of professional misconduct have been made in the third case, the spokesperson said.
St. Germain pointed out the bulk of the cases in the documents obtained by CBC are criminal in nature, which suggests to her there are likely many more cases of questionable teacher conduct that were never reported to the province's Education Department.
Monique St. Germain is a lawyer at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. (Jaison Empson/CBC)
The 20 cases listed in the documents have never been reported publicly by the province. CBC was only able to identify four that were previously reported on by the media after police laid criminal charges.
MSM - Mainstream media in Canada has little interest in child welfare. At least, not enough to actually investigate things like child sexual abuse and the scale that it afflicts our children. This report is an exception and, I pray, will be the beginning a flurry of investigations into child sex abuse in Canada. We know remarkably little about it.
Ottawa child predator set free by accident
after administrative error
Brendon Wayne Spurrell, 22, is wanted by Ottawa police. Handout photo / Postmedia
Gary Dimmock
National Post
Brendon Wayne Spurrell, a convicted child predator awaiting trial for sex assault and death threats, has been accidentally released from custody after an administrative error, this newspaper has learned.
Spurrell, 22, was on trial Friday at the Ottawa courthouse for breach of probation and was found guilty. He was then supposed to remain in custody awaiting trial on charges of death threats, sex assault, assault and auto theft.
But due to an unknown administrative error, Spurrell was set free by mistake sometime between Friday and Sunday. It’s not known if the sex offender was accidentally released from the Elgin Street courthouse or the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre.
Regardless, Spurrell has been set free by accident and the Ottawa police are asking for the public’s help to find the fugitive they describe as dangerous.
The police issued a press release this week saying they were trying to locate the wanted man but didn’t mention his convictions, charges, or that he had been accidentally released from custody.
In the statement asking for the public’s help to find Spurrell, the police also issued a warning, saying: “Please do not approach him.” Instead, police asked the public to call 911.
The court has issued a warrant for his arrest, ruling it was “necessary in the public interest.”
Spurrell is white, about 5’10” and 160 pounds. He has short black hair and blue eyes.
In February 2019, Spurrell was sentenced to two years and two months in prison for sexually assaulting a minor after he met her online, but was released for time served in pre-trial custody. He was later charged after his release with more crimes, including another sexual assault.
Provincial officials are investigating how Spurrell was accidentally released from custody.
More child sexual assault charges laid against
Hamilton middle school principal
CBC News
More sexual assault charges have been laid against a Hamilton middle school principal after new allegations surfaced.
Damir Ivankovic, who was the principal at Ryerson Middle School, was first charged with sexual assault in August. At that time police issued an appeal for any other alleged victims to come forward. On Thursday investigators say he was arrested and the following charges were added.
Two counts of sexual assault.
Two counts of sexual interference.
Assault.
Police say the incidents that led to the most recent charges happened during the 2017 and 2018 school year and involved female students who attended the middle school.
Ivankovic has been working from home since Jan. 9 when the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) first learned about the allegations.
The 54-year-old Stoney Creek man has worked at the HWDSB since 2003 and at Ryerson since 2014, the board said. He's also been a principal at Rosedale Elementary School and Viscount Montgomery Elementary School.
Ryerson is attended by students in Grades 6 to 8.
"If you are a survivor of child sexual abuse or sexual assault, remember the abuse was not your fault and there is no time limit on reporting the abuse to police," said Dunlop.
Her letter states police are asking any additional victims to come forward by calling Det. Harold Harris from the Child Abuse Unit at 905-540-6253. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or sending in tips online at www.crimestoppershamilton.com.
Dangerous offender status sought for Eckville, AB, man
who sexually abused children
Disturbing details were heard in Red Deer provincial court Friday afternoon of the sexual crimes an Eckville man committed involving children.
Among the victims of those crimes were the man’s daughter and niece. The name of the man is subject to a publication ban in order to protect the identities of his victims.
The 35-year-old pleaded guilty in October to 26 counts of sexual assault, sexual contact with a minor, sexually counselling a minor, possessing child pornography, making/printing/publishing child pornography, and distributing/selling child pornography, and voyeurism.
He is currently in custody at the Calgary Remand Centre and appeared in court Friday via CCTV.
According to an agreed statement of facts, in March 2018 an officer with the Queensland Police Service in Australia had been monitoring a child porn website when he came across a photo album that caught his attention. The officer then assumed a fake identity in order to make contact with the Canadian user who posted the photos.
The police officer later tracked the user’s location to Calgary and contacted the Southern Alberta Internet Child Exploitation Unit because he was concerned that children were being abused.
The American-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children also received a tip regarding child porn images that had been uploaded from a user in Calgary. Those images were also forwarded Southern Alberta ICE unit.
Through their investigation, police determined child porn images had also been uploaded from a home in Fox Creek. Upon searching that home officers noticed furniture items similar to ones that appeared in some of the uploaded child porn images.
Investigators eventually zeroed in on the Eckville man as being the one who had shared the images. Police set up surveillance of his home and arrested him on January 10, 2019.
Several electronic devices were seized by police, including a laptop computer, hard drives, USB drives and cellphones. On them were more than a million photos and videos, including more than 300,000 on one device alone, depicting child pornography and various acts of sexual assault.
The children victimized in those crimes, which took place over the course of nearly a decade, were between the ages of two and 11 years. Several people in the courtroom became visibly upset while hearing details of the crimes and left the room while they were still being read.
The man appeared mostly emotionless on screen, though he appeared to wipe away a few tears towards the end of Friday proceedings.
Carolyn Ayre, a special Crown prosecutor from Calgary, told Judge Jim Hunter that she is seeking dangerous offender status due to the man’s repetitious pattern of behaviour. A report will be completed within 60 days.
Good for you, Go for it Carolyn! God speed.
The case will return to court on Feb. 12.
Meantime, the Eckville man is accused using a device to access the internet just over a week after his arrest in January, thereby violating the terms of his release. He will face trial after pleading not guilty to two counts of breach of recognizance. Trial dates have not yet been scheduled.
Quebec man faces 36 counts of luring, pimping,
sexual assault of children
Seven women have filed complaints with authorities
PRESSE CANADIENNE
A 28-year-old man is expected to appear in court in Quebec City Tuesday to face 36 counts of online luring, pimping and sexual assault of minors.
Quebec City police say they began to investigate Christian-Amisi Amuli last April and thus far, seven women who were minors at the time of the alleged incidents — between January 2016 and last August — have filed complaints with authorities.
The sexual assault squad of the Quebec City police force as well as the Sûreté du Québec’s major crimes division arrested the suspect.
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