A man is facing charges after Winnipeg police say two children were sexually abused at a North End home used as an unlicensed daycare.
Police say the man lived at the home where the daycare was being run in the 400 block of Aberdeen Avenue but didn’t work there.
They say both victims are under the age of 10 and had been attending the home daycare when they were assaulted.
“These are crimes of access and opportunity,” said Winnipeg police spokesperson, Const. Dani McKinnon.
“The offenders in this type of situation, they don’t hide behind the proverbial bushes – they’re amongst us, they’re in the places where, unfortunately some of our children may attend.”
Police say the charges stem from two investigations. The first was started by investigators in the child abuse unit in September 2021 after police say a child was sexually assaulted by a man at the home earlier that summer.
Robert Dale Prince, 36, was charged with sexual assault and sexual interference in October.
A second investigation was started in January when the internet child exploitation unit learned about child sexual abuse imagery that had been uploaded to what police call a popular social media site in April 2021.
“When the child abuse unit began their investigation in September they were unaware of the images – they were operating completely on the child abuse act itself,” explained McKinnon.
McKinnon said the second investigation led back to the original suspect after more than 150 photos and videos of child pornography were found during a forensic analysis of his electronic device.
Police say the videos and images contained evidence of a second sexual assault on a second child at the home.
Prince was charged with a number of additional offences April 11, including sexual assault, sexual interference, possession of child pornography, and two counts of making, printing or possessing any child pornography for publication.
He is also charged with importing, distributing, selling or possessing child pornography for distribution or sale.
McKinnon couldn’t say whether the daycare is still operating, but did say parents and child agencies have been notified.
She said there is a possibility there are more victims.
McKinnon warned parents to ask questions of the operators of unlicensed daycares, which unlike licensed faculties, aren’t monitored by the province.
She suggested making sure unlicensed childcare providers can provide criminal and child abuse checks and that they have have safety certifications like CPR and first-aid training.
Anyone with information can call police at 204-986-6172 or the child abuse unit at 204-986-3296. Child abuse imagery can be reported on the police’s non-emergency line at 204-986-6222 or Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS.