Pics on Russian website lead to child porn charges

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This article was published 12/02/2015 (4088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fearing for the safety of children, police followed a series of clues that led from a Russian website to the arrest of a Brandon man charged with possessing and making child porn.

Police were alarmed after photos of girls — at least three of them who seem to be local — were posted to a website on which pedophiles were known to share pictures.

The photos weren’t child porn, but court documents indicate that they sparked an investigation that led to the search of a Brandon man’s home and the discovery of child porn on computer equipment.

“He may be responsible for posting the photographs … the children posted on the website could be in danger of being offended against in a sexual manner,” Brandon Police Service forensic computer crime analyst Const. Pamela Klassen wrote in an application for a search warrant.

Details of the investigation are contained in that document, a copy of which was obtained by the Brandon Sun this week.

The warrant was originally granted by a judge on Jan. 5 for an investigation of a man suspected of child porn possession and theft.

However, that investigation later led to the laying of the production of child porn charge against the same suspect.

The investigation began in November, when the BPS was notified by the Toronto Police Service that pictures of young girls had been posted from Brandon to a Russian-based website.

The website was part of a National Victim Identification Project. It was common for users with a sexual interest in children to share photos on the site, a Toronto detective informed Brandon police.

The user who posted the album “girls I babysit” — which contained 14 photos of six girls, aged two to nine years — had the screen name of “ynglove666.”

The photos of the girls were “head shots” and didn’t depict any abuse.

But the photos prompted disturbing online comments by other site users — “Beautiful!”, “Email me to trade or just chat,” “Thanks for sharing!” “Sexy,” “Cute girl ever check out her panty drawer?” “Why are your clothes still on young lady?!”

The Toronto detective had secured an Internet protocol address via Russian Federal Police.

Klassen then used that IP address to trace it to an Internet subscriber who lived at a Brandon apartment block.

That subscriber, however, had no idea that her wireless Internet was “open” and anyone within 80 to 100 metres could connect to it.

Klassen also learned that a man, stopped by police in December 2014 for having an unregistered vehicle, lived at the apartment block.

A judge had previously ordered that man to be placed on the national sex offender registry. A search of prior BPS files showed he had a connection to one of the girls whose photo was posted online.

Klassen also reviewed previous files in which the man had been a suspect, which raised a concern for the safety of children he may contact.

That man’s history includes a previous conviction for possessing child porn.

Klassen also determined that a smartphone, that possibly belonged to the same man, had connected to his neighbour’s wireless Internet.

It’s not clear if the person who posted the photos to the Russian website had actually been a babysitter to the girls. Nor have police confirmed that these 14 photographs form part of the materials seized from the accused.

However, police managed to track down parents of least three girls who appear to be from the Brandon area.

The Toronto detective determined that some of he posted photos of the girls had been taken from Facebook and discovered that they belonged to two Facebook users from Brandon.

Brandon police then found the parents of three girls, aged two to four years old. At least two of the girls were playmates.

The parents weren’t aware that the photos had been posted to the Russian-based photo hosting site.

However, the interviews with parents and others ultimately led to the discovery that the man who lived at the Brandon apartment block — the one with the Internet connection believed to have been used to post the photos to the Russian website — was known to one of the parents.

In addition, Klassen found out that police had been called twice in March 2014 with complaints that “little girls” used underwear and soiled diapers had been found among the man’s belongings.

Even though the photos of the girls posted to the website weren’t child porn, police were worried that children were at risk for abuse.

They also believed the suspect may be in possession of child porn and written materials detailing his fantasies, possibly related to the girls in the photos.

He may be in possession of underwear and other children’s belongings taken from their homes, Klassen concluded in her request for a warrant.

The warrant was granted on Jan. 5, and BPS and RCMP Internet Child Exploitation Unit members searched the suspect’s city home on Jan. 15.

They seized a long list of items that included numerous digital storage devices, cellphones, a laptop, tablets, a camera, a video recorder and a computer tower.

They also seized a laptop case that contained children’s underwear, photos and sex toys.

In addition, they secured a photo of a young female, and a class photo from a Dauphin middle school.

The day after the search, Brandon police announced the suspect’s arrest on charges of child porn possession and theft.

Police said a seized hard drive contained sexually explicit digital photographs of young children.

Court documents state that pictures and/or video clips showing naked girls performing sex acts were found on hard drives or other storage devices. Their ages ranged from four years old to teenagers.

The theft charges allege that the man stole children’s underwear and an iPhone.

On Jan. 22, further charges of child porn production, invitation to sexual touching, sexual assault and sexual interference were laid against the same man.

The Brandon Sun later learned that the man is accused of taking pictures and video of a girl about two years old.

They were found when police examined a hard drive.

Images allegedly depict an attempt by the man to make the girl perform oral sex on him, and rubbing his penis on her as she slept.

Police said the man and the girl were known to each other.

However, court documents suggest there may be more victims. The charge of child porn production alleges that pictures or videos found on a hard drive showed naked female children, aged two to 10 years, engaged in various sex acts.

The images were allegedly made between mid-January and the end of December in 2012.

Cory Bloomer, 34, is charged in connection with the case and remains in custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for today.

The allegations against him haven’t been proven in court and he is presumed innocent.

» ihitchen@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @IanHitchen