Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) arrested twelve folks accused of “non-consensual sharing of intimate content material,” together with baby pornography.
“A number of girls in Thunder Bay had been having their photographs shared by means of teams in a web based chat platform,” mentioned police in a launch.
After a prolonged cyber crime investigation, police recognized a complete of 117 alleged victims in Canada and in at the least three different international locations, mentioned TBPS.
The twelve folks accused face a complete of 172 charges, mentioned police. The vast majority of the fees laid have been Distribution of Intimate Photographs With out Consent.
Seven of the accused face charges associated to baby pornography.
Virtually 100 of the whole charges have been laid on one singular 34-year-old accused, who additionally faces mischief, unauthorized use of a pc and identification fraud charges. A 38-year-old accused additionally faces luring and extortion charges.
The accused turned themselves into police and appeared in court docket Wednesday.
TBPS mentioned its Cyber Crime Unit started investigating in 2023 after studying that photographs of native girls have been being shared with out their consent on a web based chat platform. The discharge didn’t specify what kind of on-line chat platform.
TBPS mentioned it’s asking anybody with info that might assist the investigation to contact them or submit an nameless tip by means of Crime Stoppers.
Detective Constable Joel Manherz: (807) 684-1200 ext. 4115. Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477
Sharing intimate photographs with out consent may result in jail time
A change to the Felony Code of Canada in 2015 made it a legal offence to share sexually express photographs with out the consent of the particular person within the photograph.
This consists of everybody who “knowingly publishes, distributes, transmits, sells, makes obtainable or advertises an intimate picture of an individual understanding that the particular person depicted within the picture didn’t give their consent,” in keeping with part 162.1 of Canada’s legal code.
If discovered responsible, the accused may withstand 5 years in jail.
In response to Statistics Canada figures, studies of distributing intimate photographs with out consent and associated charges have elevated because the legislation was handed by Parliament in 2015.
