A Surrey, B.C., man is facing multiple charges resulting from a multi-year investigation by the RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitations Unit.
In a media release, Surrey RCMP said Tanner Adam Duffy, 30, was arrested on Monday and is accused of exploiting two teen girls, one in Surrey and one in the West Shore region.
The exploration unit started investigating in November 2021, after federal investigators identified a pair of Facebook accounts sharing explicit content, at least one of which was believed to involve a youth.
RCMP said they identified two victims, with crimes allegedly taking place between July 2020 and February 2022 over Facebook and Snapchat, along with a suspect who used the screen name “Tanner boy.”
Mounties said Duffy has been charged with four counts of luring a child under the age of 16, three counts of possessing child pornography, and one count each of sexual interference, sexual assault, assault, forcible confinement and making sexually explicit material available to a child under 16.
He has since been released from custody under conditions including reporting to a bail supervisor, staying away from parks, swimming areas, community centres and theatres where youth may be present, and avoiding any communication with youth under the age of 16.
He has also been ordered to stay off any computer network, including the internet.
Police are using the case to remind parents to have open and ongoing conversations with their kids about how to stay safe online, and to keep an eye on their children’s online activities.
Parents can find online safety resources at cybertip.ca.