KAWARTHA LAKES-Eight people have been charged with 36 criminal offences during a joint investigation conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Child Sexual Exploitation Unit (CSEU) and Peterborough Police Service.
The investigation, named Project Peacehaven, addressed concerns over how popular social media applications are used by those looking to sexually abuse children.
“The importance of police services working together cannot be understated. We share our resources and our knowledge to identify those who seek to harm our children. There are no borders or jurisdictions in our fight against child exploitation.” said Inspector Tina Chalk, OPP Counter Exploitation and Missing Person Section
Trained investigators utilized online under-cover techniques to access online chatrooms and social media applications designed for youth to proactively identify, locate and arrest persons looking to sexually exploit children in Peterborough according to Peterborough.
The investigation took place over three days.
Throughout Project Peacehaven Investigators communicated with 36 suspects beyond simple introductions. The communications established ages which were well outside the consensual parameters established by the Criminal Code and included inappropriate sexualized content according to Police. Approximately 30 per cent of these suspects were identified, located and arrested after committing criminal offences.
Police say:
- Six of the suspects were arrested when they arrived at a set location to meet the child for sexual purposes.
- Two suspects were identified solely through online investigations and arrested outside of a set meeting location.
- One suspect drove over 290 kilometers to meet a child for sexual purposes.
- A repeat offender was arrested who had just completed their ten-year term on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry.
Police say the three-day investigation is a snapshot of the dangers children face online. Investigators accessed predicated online chat rooms and social media applications as millions of children do every day.
To learn how to keep children safe, go to Canadian Centre for Child Protection. If you have information related to child sexual exploitation contact your local police or report to cybertip.ca.
Here’s a list of those charged:
| Leonard RAZON | 21 | Scarborough, ON | ·      Possession of Child Pornography
·      Making sexually explicit material available to a child ·      Luring a person under 16 (five counts) |
|
| Danny DEPEW | 52 | Abbotsford, BC | ·      Luring a person under 16 (three counts)
·      Breach of 161 Prohibition Order |
|
| Steven MACDONALD | 36 | Delta, ON | ·      Luring a person under 16 (three counts)
·      Making sexually explicit material available to a child |
|
| William BELL | 55 | Shannonville, ON | ·      Luring a person under 16 (two counts)
·      Making sexually explicit material available to a child |
|
| Chris PARISH | 49 | Selwyn Township, ON | ·      Luring a person under 16 (four counts) | |
| Joshua BURGOYNE | 40 | Courtice, ON | ·      Luring a person under 16 (four counts) | |
| Jordan COBB | 36 | Simcoe, ON | ·      Luring a person under 16 (five counts)
·      Sending sexually explicit material to a person under 16 (two counts) |
|
| Nathan JOHNSON | 38 | Omemee, ON | ·      Luring a person under 18
·      Making sexually explicit material available to person under 18 ·      Communicating with anyone under 18 years for purpose of obtaining sexual services |
|
