Edmonton group home worker given 12-year sentence for child pornography offences

A former Edmonton group home worker charged with child pornography-related offences was sentenced to 12 years behind bars on Friday afternoon.

The sentence was handed down to Samer Temraz, after he pleaded guilty to a handful of charges including sexual interference, unlawfully touching a minor and making, possessing and distributing child porn.

In November 2018, the 40-year-old was charged with sexually assaulting an 11-year-old child in his care at a local group home.

While being sentenced Friday, court heard Temraz offended on at least two boys — one age 11 and other 13. Some of the offences date back to 2008.

Court heard that Temraz made 144 videos of the 11-year-old within a two-and-a-half-month timeline.

According to an agreed statement of facts, Temraz also invited another man to take part in the sexual exploitation of the younger victim.

Court heard Friday that the second boy was identified after the initial charges were laid.

The investigation began after the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit received information from the RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre about a person accessing child porn.

Police said after the arrest, they found evidence on Temraz’s computer and several other electronic devices.

One victim’s mother was so upset by seeing the offender on CCTV in court that she yelled at him and ran out of the courtroom before she could read her victim impact statement.

In total, three victim impact statements were presented. One of the victim’s caseworkers described the trauma he experienced, saying:

“You have impacted the life of this young man so much that he will suffer for the rest of him life.”

The woman, who cannot be named to protect the child’s identity, went on to say the group home was supposed to be a safe place for the boy, but instead, “it set the stage for your disgusting, filthy abuse of power and abuse of authority,” she said, addressing Temraz.

“You betrayed his trust, took advantage of him in the most hideous way any adult could hurt a child.”

She said she learned Temraz befriended the child and quickly gained his trust – to the point that court heard the child was very reluctant to tell police about the abuse, denying it multiple times before eventually revealing what occurred.

“He has to live with the shame of someone taking advantage full advantage of him. These actions are reprehensible.”

The group home is not being named to protect the identity of the victim, investigators with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) said.

ALERT noted Temraz worked at the group home in question for about eight years and was with children overnight and often often alone.

Temraz will receive credit for 25 months already spent in custody.