One Million Child Porn Images Seized

This person was identified on CHEK News, Jan. 24, 2011 as being Mr. B. Rogers who is the owner of a powder coating company operating in Cedar B.C.

A 64 year old Ladysmith man was arrested in mid December after search warrants on his home, business and car revealed thousands of sexually explicit pornographic images, many of which involved children. The searches and subsequent seizures are unprecedented in the Nanaimo area.

The first of the three search warrants was carried out by officers with the Nanaimo RCMP Serious Crime Unit in the afternoon at the suspect’s business situated in Cedar. The male was arrested at his business then taken into custody. Subsequent to that search, two other searches were carried out later that same day; the next at his home in Ladysmith and the last on his personal car. Seized during the searches were ten computers, digital cameras, web cameras, CD’s ,DVD’s and at least 29 external hard drives and 25 other storage devices. Officers have estimated there may be upwards of one million sexually explicit images of children on the materials seized.

The male was released from custody the next day on a Promise to Appear and police are recommending charges of Possession, Production and Accessing Child pornography under the Criminal Code of Canada. His first court date is set for January 18, 2011. Investigators do not believe there are any images of local children on the items seized. ”Officers trained in the detection of child pornography on computers and hard drives have indicated it will take them many months before the images have been catalogued and they are in a position to prepare a forensic report,” said Constable Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson for the Nanaimo RCMP.

The suspect while awaiting his next court appearance must abide by the following conditions: not to possess or use computers or access the internet and to not attend any public place that a person 18 years of age or younger may be present.