Edmonton-area father going to prison for child pornography

Warning: The details in this story may be disturbing for some readers.

A father from the Edmonton area is now behind bars after sending explicit photos of an underage family member to an undercover officer in the United States.

Court heard the accused started possessing child pornography back in 2016, and had amassed a significant illegal collection, consisting of 1000 images and more than 500 videos.

He also ran a website where he posted fictional stories he wrote about child sexual assault, all while he was volunteering as a local Scout leader.

Global News cannot identify the man due to a publication ban designed to protect the child victims in this case.

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Court heard the offender also shared a naked photo of his own son in the bathtub with a person in the United Kingdom.

But his son wasn’t the only child in his life he harmed.

In a victim impact statement, the offender’s sister-in-law explained how he took photos of her child in a bikini during a water gun fight at a tenth birthday party — a place her kids should have been safe.

The man would later share those images with an undercover agent working for Homeland Security in the United States — an act that eventually lead to his arrest.

The victim’s mother said as a result of the crimes, her child needs counselling, is fearful of running into the offender and has lost all self-confidence, trying to hide by wearing baggy clothing.

In August, the accused pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on what was supposed to be the first day of his trial.

The victim’s mother said her family has been absolutely torn apart by her brother-in-law’s actions.

“He made us all victims of his depravity and for that, he will never be forgiven.”

The judge accepted a jointly proposed sentence from the crown and defense for two years in prison followed by three years of probation.

“There’s no sentence you can give him that would be adequate in my eyes. He has broken my family, my child and my spirit,” the victim’s mother said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There's no sentence you can give him that would be adequate in my eyes. He has broken my family, my child and my spirit," the victim's mother said.

When given the opportunity to speak to the court, the offender said nothing.