Child porn investigation ‘horrific’: Bates

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This article was published 08/02/2025 (301 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Editor’s Note: This story contains information on charges related to alleged crimes against children which may be disturbing to some readers.

Hundreds of hours of pornographic imagery of children were discovered after police raided a home in Brandon and arrested a man who was involved in foster parenting and connected with a daycare.

Police are withholding the accused’s name to protect the identify of the children who lived at the home and attended the daycare.

Police Chief Tyler Bates told media on Friday that officers will have to go through many hours of material after seizing several devices connected to production of child pornography.

“When you’re developing reasonable probable grounds with respect to offences being committed, you look at all available forms of evidence,” said Bates. “There are many interviews that remain. And there is, as I’ve indicated, a plethora of electronic devices that need to be analyzed.”

Bates said that days into the investigation, police could not venture a guess as to how many children may have been involved. However, he said that police believe that the potential victims included children from the daycare and the foster home. He added police are aware that children outside of the home could have been targeted, such as children who came to the house on play dates.

“As we continue to investigate, as we obtain further statements, as we review further video and electronic devices, there could potentially, and with all probability, be further offences that are revealed.”

The man was originally charged with a list of crimes including making child pornography, possession of child pornography, accessing child pornography, distributing child pornography and sexual assault. While the man was inside Brandon Correctional Centre, police added charges including sexual interference, defined in the Criminal Code as touching someone under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose.

“That’s the reality, the sad reality of what was transpiring in this residence and why there was such imminent and urgent need to affect the execution of that search warrant,” said Bates.

Bates would not specify where police discovered evidence that led to those additional charges, but broadly said police would typically look to sources such as interviews and digital evidence, such as from the devices seized during the search.

The foster children have been placed in care of Child and Family Services, and the parents of the children from the daycare have been notified.

“My heart goes out to the families, to the parents that have had to deal with this horrific reality, to the kids that are forever impacted,” Bates said from a podium at city hall. “This is a horrific investigation.”

Bates said child pornography charges are typically possession or distribution, and that manufacturing child pornography is less common.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com