In Ontario, the courts take any charges involving sexual exploitation seriously. Child pornography charges are quite common, and any person who is facing such charges may have a hard time long before the start of a trial. The most logical step might be to secure the services of an experienced criminal defence lawyer to protect his or her rights and to advocate for him or her.
Ottawa man faces child pornography charges
Various Ontario units involved in the prevention of cyber child exploitation monitor the CyberTipLine that aids in the process of identifying individuals who partake in acts related to sexual exploitation of children. The court and the public regard child pornography charges in a severe light. The community in which an accused person lives often finds that person guilty long before trials even commence. However, skilled legal counsel may help to protect the accused individual against such prejudice.
The reasons given by those convicted of child pornography crimes
To better understand the crime of viewing child pornography and why it happens, researchers decided look at the explanations that these offenders gave when confronted. They got their data from two different sources: interviews carried out by the police and interviews carried out by clinicians. The second group came exclusively after convictions had been made.
Child pornography crimes carry long sentences
It doesn't matter where you live, child pornography laws are harsh. After all, most countries are serious about protecting minors.
Pornography laws are most specific regarding children
In Canada, pornography laws and the very definition of the material can be a bit open to interpretation. Generally speaking, explicit material is not illegal as long as the adults have consented to making it and it is not deemed obscene. Even the definition of obscene material has been changing, though, and it's most typically connected to violence.
Why are child pornography arrests increasing in Canada?
Despite the work of law enforcement officers, child pornography arrests are rising over the years in Canada. Back in 2003, a total of 913 instances were reported, but that had risen all the way to 1,919 incidents by the time 2012 came around. The total increase is about 91 percent. When looking at the numbers per 100,000 people, there were 2.89 instances in 2003 and 5.5 in 2012.
What are the punishments for child pornography crimes?
If you've been charged with child pornography crimes, you should know that there are a few different specific charges you could be facing—or a combination of these charges. As your case moves forward, to ensure that it is fair, it's also smart to look into the potential punishments for these various crimes. They are as follows:
Child porn charges could stem from doctored images
The criminal code is fairly broad in the way that is defines child pornography. Images and videos that show sexual acts involving children clearly fall under this term, but it's important to note that some other types of materials are listed as well. For example, texts that refer to these same sexual acts can be considered child porn, as can images that don't technically even contain children.
Defending Ottawa residents against child pornography charges
The problem of child pornography has exploded since the popularity of the Internet has taken hold. In fact, child porn charges have become especially common in recent years, and numerous Ottawa residents are being accused of crimes that they had no idea they were committing.
