SASKATOON – A convicted possessor, distributor and creator of child pornography says he’s “so sorry” for his actions, but will have to wait until mid-April to hear his sentence in a case that’s spanned roughly five years. Justin Gryba, 27, was first convicted and sentenced for child porn possession in 2013. The charges stemmed from a 2011 investigation by police.
During their search, authorities also uncovered hard drives that they could not initially unlock. Once they did in 2014, a second slate of charges were laid, leading to Gryba’s current court proceedings.
During sentencing submissions Thursday, Crown prosecutor Michael Segu told the court that roughly 10,000 child porn images were found on the previously encrypted hard drive. Sgt. Darren Parisien with the Internet Child Exploitation unit testified that the images depicted a number of sexual acts with children that were under the age of 12.
The encrypted hard drive also included a file folder with 11 videos Gryba secretly made, featuring boys changing in a locker room and going to the bathroom in his home. Gryba had met the boys through a volunteer program that placed children with mentors.
“They expected me to protect them,” said Gryba to the court when given a chance to speak by Justice Martel Popescul.
“I hurt them, their family.”
The mothers of the boys wrote victim impact statements that were read out by Segu in court Thursday. One wrote that she now trusts “no one and my children do not either.”
The other wrote she was “shocked, angry and gut wrenched” by Gryba’s actions.
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The Crown argued that Gryba did not truly show remorse for his actions, since he did not initially disclose what was on the encrypted hard drives to authorities. During his roughly two-hour submission, Segu stated that Gryba “only wants to do right when there’s no other move left.”
“I wish more than anything that I could take it back,” said Gryba.
Defence lawyer Morris Bodnar contended that Gryba has “an illness” which he has sought treatment for. He indicated that his client had taken part in a sexual offender education group and sex offender treatment group.
The defence also argued the court should take into consideration that there’s no evidence the videos Gryba made were shared on the internet and he did not receive financial profit from them.
Gryba has been in custody since his arrest in 2014. The Crown is arguing for a five year sentence, which will keep Gryba in prison for roughly two-and-a-half more years. Segu said the accused should not get a sentence that would be similar to if he had fully disclosed the extent of his collection during his first trial.
The defence is arguing for a sentence that amounts to the time Gryba’s served over the entirety of his case. His lawyers said Thursday that more prison time won’t assist him further in his rehabilitation effort.