A 64-year-old Prince George man was sentenced Thursday to 20 months in jail followed by three years probation after RCMP discovered a trove of child pornography in his home.
Maurice Fernand Daoust was arrested on January 23, about three weeks after the RCMP's Integrated Child Exploitation Unit was notified that a computer linked to his address was being used to share images and video through a peer-to-peer service.
After a followup investigation confirmed the source, RCMP obtained a warrant to search his home which backs onto the parking lot of a local elementary school. Daoust has since sold the home in anticipation of being sentenced to time in jail, the court was told.
When RCMP showed up, Daoust cooperated, immediately telling police he downloaded child pornography and it's on his computer. The father to two children now in their mid-to-late 20s, Daoust also stressed his wife knew nothing about what he had been doing.
Daoust later told police he had been accessing child pornography since 1995. Because the internet was slower at the time, he went to chatrooms to get stories depicting sex with children and believe that it was fine so long as he did not pursue actual children.
RCMP recovered over 1,000 files of which 211 were videos. They covered the entire spectrum of depravity and a majority depicted children 10 years old and younger. Toddlers and an infant were also depicted, the court was told.
Daoust subsequently pleaded guilty to one count each of making child pornography available and possessing child pornography and has since realized the severity of the offence and its impact on the victims, the court was told.
In issuing the sentence, provincial court judge Michael Brecknell agreed with Crown counsel's position. Defence counsel had argued for 18 months plus probation but Brecknell found that was not enough to both denounce the crime and deter others from committing it.
He also said that in his opinion, a sentence of two to 2 1/2 years would have been appropriate but noted federal time precludes probation which has a rehabilitative effect and provides for longer supervision once back in the community.
Brecknell described Daoust's collection as large and with material depicting acts at the "most egregious end of the spectrum."
Given a chance to speak to the court, Daoust said he was sorry for the trouble he has caused and is looking forward to getting psychological help for his diagnosis of pedophilia. Brecknell recommended Daoust serve his time at Ford Mountain Correctional Centre which provides programs for sexual offenders.
"Apparently, I had problems way back when but I'm not excusing anything I did," Daoust said.
