Man charged with soliciting child porn
Twenty-one-year-old Hay River resident accused of luring minors and extortion online
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, February 1, 2016
HAY RIVER
Twenty-one-year-old Joel Gordon of Hay River is facing multiple charges related to child pornography, child luring and extortion after a police investigation into his social media activity.
At about 1 p.m. on Jan. 21, Hay River RCMP arrested the man and executed a search warrant at his home.
He is in custody and his next court date was Jan. 26 in Yellowknife Territorial Court.
A publication ban prohibits the release and publication of information that may identify any victim.
When contacted by News/North, Const. Samuel Holm, the south district media liaison with the RCMP's 'G' Division, said a number of pieces of electronic equipment were seized during the search, including computers and storage devices.
Holm also explained what a charge of luring minors means under the Criminal Code.
"The offences that are referred to are more inviting minors for contact for a sexual purpose and/or asking for images from the minors," he explained, saying they do not necessarily mean luring a minor to meet in person.
"In this circumstance, the police have information that Mr. Gordon was reaching out to young people and requesting the sexually explicit materials," said Holm.
The police spokesperson did not have the details of why Gordon was charged with extortion.
However, Holm offered a general description of what often happens in such cases.
Once somebody has procured inappropriate photos of a person, those images will often be used as leverage to obtain more, he explained.
"What we've seen in the past have been threats to expose those images, either to family and friends or to post them on mass media, and then to use that as an extortion tactic to try and convince the person to send more," he said.
Holm said the investigation into the current case is ongoing.
"Other charges are being explored," he said.
Holm did not have information on how many victims may have been involved in the case.
Because of the publication ban, he declined to comment on the gender of the victim or victims, nor where they lived.
"With respect to the publication ban, I can't give any information on the location of any potential victims," he said.
Holm noted the RCMP is seeking information from anyone who may have had online contact with Gordon during which he may have displayed suspicious behaviour.
The RCMP is reminding parents and youth to be wary while using social media as it can provide an easy method of access for potential predators to reach at-risk individuals. Any inappropriate communications should be reported to the police, and contact should be discontinued.
