A BC man has been given an eight-month conditional sentence followed by three years probation for possessing child pornography..BC provincial court Judge Joanne Challenger says the offender, referred to as “CL,” poses no safety risk to the community, and his actions are a result of “intergenerational trauma.”.In March 2020, CL uploaded a video of children being sexually abused to his “Moose is Loose” Instagram account and subsequently shared the content with an account under the name “Maya Wright.”.A second child pornography video was uploaded to another account run by CL called “ChiefPoundrHard.” The video was also sent to Maya Wright..The social media platform reported the activity to authorities and an investigation followed suit. A search warrant was executed late last June at CL’s residence where multiple devices containing child abuse material were discovered..Police described CL’s bedroom as “unsanitary,” with insects found under some items, according to the ruling..Examination of the devices revealed CL was involved with chat groups that share and discuss child pornography..He possessed 1375 images and 107 videos, and when police randomly sampled three images and two videos, all contained “child pornography” by its legal definition..Roughly half of the discovered content showed children either nude or “posed in a sexualized manner,” and the other half displayed children being subjected to heinous sexual abuse by adults..Challenger said CL admitted to collecting child pornography for six years dating from when he got his first iPad at the age of 21..He then began communicating and trading material with other individuals with similar propensities..“One such person wanted images showing younger and younger children being sexually assaulted,” Challenger said, adding that “the offender felt pressured to provide the images as he was afraid he would be exposed and bring shame to his family.”.Challenger said CL had been socially isolated during his teen years and was emotionally and physically bullied by an older brother, which led to “chronic low self-esteem.”.“He is also naive and lacks the life skills or experiences which would normally be expected for a 27-year-old person. He has not been able to properly access assistance due to his isolation,” said Challenger, highlighting that the grown man’s family is impacted by the assimilation policies and residential school system, therefore the offender experiences “intergenerational trauma.”.Specific locations and names have all been omitted from court documents..CL is described in the ruling as “a warm, kind, big-hearted person.”.“There is a body of cogent evidence before the court which establishes that the cause of this offender’s criminal conduct is the result of his poor mental and physical health,” said the judge..“This serves to reduce his moral culpability.”.The March 30 judgment concludes with a testament to how “loved and highly regarded” CL is, who supposedly has a “great deal to offer his nation and the community at large” — a community that CL poses little risk to according to Challenger..Some of the content admittedly possessed and shared by CL includes children subject to “oral, anal, or vaginal sexual penetration by an adult,” according to the ruling..“I find a conditional sentence of eight months is appropriate,” said Challenger..“It should be recognized that it represents a markedly lenient disposition. There will be a period of probation to follow for three years.”.The judge did refer to the images as “abhorrent,” and said the children involved deserve retribution..In the fiscal year 2020/21, RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre received 52,306 total reports, complaints, and requests for assistance with online child sexual exploitation content — a 510% increase from 2013/14..Reid Small is a BC-based reporter for the Western Standard.,rsmall@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/reidsmall
