London, Ont. man faces child pornography counts in joint probe with UK police

A 22-year-old man is facing numerous charges including possessing child pornography, luring a person under 18, and extortion in connection with a joint investigation that involved London police in Ontario and London police in the U.K.

London, Ont., police say the case dates back to 2020 and that they entered into an investigation earlier this year after receiving information from a social media platform that a man had allegedly uploaded images of suspected child sexual abuse.

Local police say they later learned from the Metropolitan Police Service overseas that the same suspect had communicated with an underage girl who lived in the U.K.

Scotland Yard informed local investigators that the suspect was aware of the girl’s age and had entered into a romantic relationship with her through the social media platform, police said.

“Sexual videos and images were shared, and the suspect threatened to share the videos and images with others if the victim did not send more. The suspect also uttered physical threats of harm to the victim online,” police said.

In June, officers raided a home on Dudley Crescent, seizing computer devices and other evidence, police said.

On Tuesday, police say a 22-year-old London, Ont., man was charged with nine counts, including five related to child sexual abuse imagery.

The other counts include luring a person under 18, transmitting sexually explicit material to a person under 18, extortion, and uttering threats of death or bodily harm, police said.

The accused was released from custody and is expected to appear in court on Dec. 7, police said.