Crown appealing Saskatchewan child pornography sentence

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The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal heard arguments from the Crown on Thursday appealing the longest sentence ever handed down for child porn offences in Saskatchewan.

Philip Chicoine was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Nov. 14, 2017 after he pleaded guilty to arranging and paying for live-streams of child pornography with the help of women in Romania and the Philippines.

The live-streams involved children between the ages of four and nine displaying their genitalia and engaging in oral sex.

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The Crown is now recommending a sentence of 17 years saying the current sentence is “demonstrably unfit” and does not reflect the gravity of the crimes and moral culpability of the offender.

The Crown also said the trial judge imposed minimum sentences and says even though Chicoine did not touch the children himself, the offences wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t pay for them.

Lastly, the Crown argues Chicoine should be given a lifetime ban from using the internet rather than the 10 year ban he was given.

If Chicoine is handed a harsher sentence it would be unprecedented. The Court of Appeal is expected to make a decision at a later date.

With files from David Giles