Internet prowler caught with child porn
Date: July 16, 2008Source: Canada.com
By:
an Stuart Johnson was not deterred, even after being booted three times from the chat site.
Using the Internet site Nexopia, the city man tried to solicit teenage girls for sex by offering them money and booze.
Three times, the owner of the site terminated Johnson's account after receiving complaints, only to have the man sign up again under a new name.
Police were notified and, when Johnson's home was searched, hundreds of child porn photos, along with two-dozen child porn videos, were discovered on his computer.
Johnson, 27, has pleaded guilty to charges of luring and possessing child pornography. On Monday, Court of Queen's Bench heard arguments on the man's sentence.
Johnson has been assessed as a low risk to re-offend, defence lawyer Pat Horner said. He argued his client should be spared jail and handed a conditional sentence that would include house arrest.
Johnson was socially isolated at the time of the offences -- something that has changed, Horner said.
The lawyer also said jail is particularly hard on those convicted of such charges as they are "in danger of physical harm or death."
However, Crown prosecutor Jenny Rees argued Johnson should be sentenced to up to 24 months of jail, followed by probation.
An aggravating factor, she said, is Johnson's persistence despite his accounts being de-activated. Also at issue is the number of girls he tried to lure.
Johnson is an unusual case, Rees said, as he has no psychiatric history and apparently had a happy childhood.
Justice Peter McIntyre has reserved his decision on sentence until Sept. 23.
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