A convicted Nova Scotia pedophile who had previously admitted to directing the sexual abuse of Filipino children over the internet is facing new charges.
In a release, the Nova Scotia RCMP said police received information in July 2022 that 47-year-old Jason Troy Pitts was accessing the internet, contrary to a prohibition order preventing him from doing so.
In September that year, police executed a search warrant at a home on Wentworth Road in Windsor, N.S., and seized cell phones, computers, computer accessories and documents.
Pitts was charged with breaching a prohibition order and released on conditions. He appeared in Windsor Provincial Court in December 2022.
The RCMP said investigators obtained further search warrants for the electronic devices seized from the home.
“During these searches, RCMP officers located a large volume of child pornography,” the release said.
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Pitts was arrested again on Feb. 9 of this year and was held in custody overnight.
He faces the following charges:
- Possession of child pornography;
- Transmission of child pornography;
- Making child pornography;
- Accessing child pornography;
- Failure to comply with a prohibition order.
He is scheduled to appear in Windsor Provincial Court Friday.
Police say no local children were involved in the commission of the offences.
Prior offences
In 2015, Pitts was sentenced to a total of seven years in prison after pleading guilty to making, possessing and accessing child pornography, as well as eight counts of conspiring to commit sexual assault on a child.
Pitts had adults in the Philippines direct children to perform sexual acts, including a woman he paid to perform acts with a girl aged between eight and 11 years whom she said was her daughter.
In 2016, he appealed a five-year portion of that sentence, for eight counts of conspiracy to sexually assault children, arguing the sentence was “hard and excessive.” His appeal was unsuccessful.
Saltwire reported that he was given statutory release in October 2019 and was granted leave privileges on Jan. 22.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall said Friday that the new charge of making child pornography is related to producing written materials that encourage or advocate for sexual offences against children.
“We believe a lot of this stuff is targeted the same as before, in the Philippines or other countries,” he said.
Marshall was unable to say if investigators are working with police in the Philippines or other countries, but said the investigation is ongoing.
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