Woman pleads not guilty to three child pornography related charges

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A Sault Ste. Marie woman pleaded not guilty Monday to three child pornography related charges during the first day of her trial before a judge in the Superior Court of Justice.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2015 and Dec.31, 2017.

She faces counts of making child pornography, possessing child porn for the purpose of distributing/selling it and telecomunicating with someone to commit a sexual offence involving a person under the age of 18.

Superior Court Justice Annalisa Rasaiah imposed a publication ban, which prohibits reporting any information that may identify the complainant - the accused's daughter who was a pre-teen at the time of the alleged offences.

The court heard testimony from the now young woman, as well as a Children's Aid Society of Algoma worker, who interviewed the girl in 2019 after being contacted by a city police officer.

The child protection worker testified the girl, then 14, said she wasn't comfortable at home, where she said she was being abused.

She disclosed that when she was 11 her mother took photographs of her and did a video recording, the witness told the court.

Assistant Crown attorney Karen Pritchard showed a video of the complainant's interview with the worker where the girl outlined why she didn't want to return home, when the complainant took the witness stand.

The complainant testified via Zoom from another room in the courthouse.

She said her mother took photos of herself, as well as the top half of the girl's body.

Her mother did this because a man she was dating online "wanted pictures of both of us in the nude,"  the young woman said.

She told Pritchard her mother had asked if she was comfortable sending pictures like that.

"I was 11 and didn't really understand," indicating her mom was doing this so she thought it was okay. 

"I only agreed (to photos) above my waist," she said, adding she was clothed on the bottom half of her body.

The complainant said her mother also had her take a photo of the woman masturbating.

The testimony Rasaiah heard Monday was during a voir dire - a trial within a trial to determine the admissibility of evidence.

Defence lawyer Jessica Belisle will cross examine the complainant today.

Pritchard and Belisle will then argue today whether or not the video is admissible in the trial.