Island man faces child porn charges

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE POLICE SERVICE

In August of 2014 investigators with Greater Sudbury Police Service became aware of a child pornography investigation that had connections to Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District.

As a result of the information the investigators contacted their strategy partners within the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Technological Crime Unit officers; who commenced a criminal investigation.

In January of 2015 officers from the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Technological Crime Unit were assisted by officers from the Ontario Provincial Police when they attended at an address on St. Joseph Island and executed a search warrant at a home. A computer was seized.

On the 25th of February 64 year old Leonard Richardson of Richards Landing, Ontario was charged with one count of Make Available Child Pornography and one count of Possession of Child Pornography.  The accused appeared in bail court on the 25th of February 2015.

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service is a member of the Ontario Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet. 

The Provincial Strategy was created in 2006 in response to the Ontario government’s request that police develop a coordinated, province-wide approach to combat internet crimes again children, including child pornography, luring and self/peer exploitation offences.

The Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Section administers the Provincial Strategy and has formed a Joint Management Team, consisting of senior officers from the OPP, 18 police services, the Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) has one investigator who is the Provincial Strategy Representative. 

The ICE Unit works in partnership with the SSMPS Technological Crime Unit (TCU) on child exploitation investigations.