A province-wide child sexual abuse investigation by Ontario Provincial Police dubbed Project Aquatic has had staggering results – hundreds of charges, including seven male suspects from northern Ontario.
The investigations took place between February 19th and 29th. An OPP news release stated that investigators focused on identifying and arresting those making, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material.
As a result of Project Aquatic:
- 34 victims were identified
- 30 children were safeguarded
- 64 people were charged
- 348 charges were laid
- 607 electronic devices were seized
During the investigation, one individual set up a meeting with undercover investigators intending to meet with a child in real life for a sexual purpose. Another individual was in possession of approximately 21 terabytes of data containing child sexual abuse material.
Included with the news release is a list of suspects. It includes seven men from northern men aged 18 to 54. In order to protect the identities of the victims, 705BLACKFLY.COM has opted not to publish the names of the accused.
The youngest of the group, an 18-year-old man, is from Thunder Bay and is charged with three counts each of luring a person under 16 and making sexually explicit material available. He was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court June 10.
A 28-year-old man from Thunder Bay is still in custody after being charged with making child pornography available, accessing it and failing to comply with probation and three release orders. He is scheduled back in court June 4.
A 27-year-old from Greater Sudbury is charged with agreeing or arranging a sexual offence against a child and making child pornography. He was released from custody and his next court date is scheduled for May 22.
Two men, ages 27 and 38, from Sault Ste. Marie were charged with possession of child pornography in the investigation. Both have been released from custody and will return to court June 3 and May 27 respectively. On suspect is also charged with luring a person under 16 and five counts of making child pornography available.
A 32-year-old Powassan man is charged with making and distributing child pornography as well as two counts of possession. He is scheduled to appear in court May 21 in North Bay.
The oldest suspect is a 54-year-old man from Coleman Township who is charged with two counts of agreeing or arranging a sexual offence against a child and making child pornography. He was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in North Bay court May 14.
Police said the children identified were provided with “victim support.”
“Our collective strength lies in our ongoing commitment to protect children from the impacts of sexual exploitation,” said OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique. “Through the Provincial ICE Strategy, we stand together in supporting victims, preventing victimization, and dismantling predatory activities. We are unrelenting in our mission to safeguard children and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“When a child is being sexually abused, technology is likely being used to facilitate the ongoing harm,” said Signy Arnason, Associate Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “Survivors of child sexual abuse material have repeatedly said how important it is to get the images and videos of their abuse off the internet. Our agency sends 20,000+ removal notices to hosting providers every day. In addition to the critical efforts of police, you can help protect a victim by reporting to Cybertip.ca if you are concerned about someone’s online interaction with children.”
27 police agencies participated in the investigation including the Barrie Police Service, Greater Sudbury Police Service, North Bay Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, Thunder Bay Police Service, and the Timmins Police Service
