A 50-year-old Edmonton man has been arrested and charged with multiple sexual offences allegedly committed against family members.
ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit said the man was arrested on Aug. 31 after a six-month investigation identified four child victims in Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
“This was a very troubling and challenging instigation and this investigation unfolded across multiple provinces,” Det. Ian McFatridge said.
“These victims were subject to varying degrees of sexual abuse when they were young children. Some of these offences were historical while some were committed more recently.”
ICE said authorities first became aware of the suspect in March when he allegedly uploaded child pornography to the internet.
“What stood out in this case was the pictures, the materials, appeared to be homemade,” McFatridge said.
Watch below: A 50-year-old Edmonton man has been arrested and charged with multiple sexual offences allegedly committed against family members. Police said there could potentially be more charges laid. Kim Smith has the details.
The man was arrested on March 21 and was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and two counts of distribution of child pornography.
He was later charged with additional counts of sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference while he was in custody. ICE said those charges came after further investigation uncovered additional sexual offences committed against his family members. The alleged historical offences happened in Edmonton, Manitoba and Nova Scotia over several years while the victims were young children, according to ICE.
The suspect was arrested on warrants issued in Manitoba and Nova Scotia for the alleged offences committed in those provinces. Those charges include sexual assault, sexual interference, touching for a sexual purpose, bestiality and child pornography.
“This is one of the more disturbing files I’ve worked on since I’ve been in the unit,” McFatridge said. “There obviously is a real breach of trust when you’re dealing with family members.”
The accused has been taken to Manitoba, where he’ll appear in court in the City of Thompson on Monday.
The identity of the man is not being released in order to protect the victims, who are all relatives of the accused.
ICE said it’s working the Zebra Centre for Child Protection to provide support and resources to the victims.
— With files from Emily Mertz