The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams have charged a 76-year-old Calgary man with child sexual exploitation related offences.
In a news release Thursday morning, ALERT called the man “one of the most egregious offenders the ICE (internet child exploitation) unit has ever investigated.”
ALERT said the accused had previously been charged for similar offences in 2013 and in 2021.
ALERT said the ICE unit seized more than one million photos and videos of child sexual abuse following forensic examination of devices it seized in 2021. Some of the materials depicted children as young as infants, ALERT said.
“This is one of the most egregious offenders the ICE unit has ever investigated. With over one million child sexual exploitation materials identified, there doesn’t appear to be any propensity for stopping and past arrests do not appear to have provided any reasonable deterrence,” said Staff Sgt. Dominic Mayhew.
Bernard Hyde was arrested by the ICE unit in on Sept. 1 following a tip from the public. ALERT alleges Hyde was seen using a computer and a Wi-Fi connection of a local unsuspecting business. Following Hyde’s arrest, laptop computers and other data storage devices were seized from Hyde’s Calgary apartment.
Hyde is charged with possessing and accessing child pornography. He also faces breach offences stemming from previous ICE investigations. He remains in custody.
ALERT said at the time of his arrest, Hyde was subject to a release order and a long-term supervision order with conditions prohibiting him from possessing a computer capable of accessing the internet.