Eighty people from across Ontario are facing child pornography charges after a huge coordinated investigation. As part of the investigation, police were also able to ensure the safety of nine people who had been working in the sex trade as a minor or against their will, including 14, 15, and 16-year-olds. Sergeant Peter Leon says it is the good news part of the story.
Under the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet, police executed 174 search warrants, resulting in 274 charges. These range from sexual assault, luring a young person and human trafficking to charges related to the creation, access, possession and distribution of child porn material. Drug and weapons charges were also laid. Nine of the accused are from the Ottawa area.