In a Saskatoon home over the course of six years, Philip Michael Chicoine, 28, victimized children in Canada and the U.S., as well as facilitated live-streamed child pornography with help from people in Romania and the Philippines.
It’s there in the Philippines, Jared Clarke, a member of Saskatchewan’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit, recently testified in hopes of bringing one woman and one man from the country, to justice.
Clarke just returned from the Philippines. He took the stand in Leyte island/province on May 31, testifying against a man and woman who are believed to have worked online with Chicoine, to create child pornography, in exchange for money.
“It’s mom and dad of some of the victims. Some of the other victims were simply neighbourhood kids that were known to them that they had access to but some of the victims were their children,” Clarke said.
The duo are charged with human trafficking. Their names are not being released to protect the identity of the children involved. They face a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted.
As part of the trip, Clarke visited the children’s shelter where some of the children, who were rescued through the ICE unit’s investigation, are living. To break the ice, they brought in food from Jollibee, a fast-food favourite in the island country.
Clarke, recognized a few of the kids at the shelter from the evidence collected in the ICE investigation.
“I met with all the kids and sat and ate some spaghetti and hamburgers with that table (of recognizable children) maybe a little bit longer,” he said.
Nine children in the Philippines have been rescued as a direct result of this investigation and another three have been rescued from investigations linked to the case.
The Crown is appealing Chicoine’s 12-year sentence, stating it’s not proportionate for the gravity of the offence. The appeal is scheduled for July 5.