Police have laid charges against a 61-year-old Coquitlam man after a lost phone led them to discover thousands of images of child pornography on the man’s computer.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police say their investigation began in October 2021 when a transit user found a phone on a bench at the Braid SkyTrain Station in New Westminster. Police say the person was searching the phone for contact information to return it to its owner when they discovered images of young children in a state of undress. The transit user immediately called police.
Police say they were eventually able to identify the phone’s owner as a 61-year-old Coquitlam man. They obtained a search warrant for the man’s home and, in October 2022, discovered more than 2,500 images of child pornography on computer hard drives.
Last month, two charges were approved against the man for possession of and access to child pornography. He was arrested, but has since been released with conditions that prohibit him from making contact with anyone under age 18 or going near public parks, swimming areas, daycare centres, schools or playgrounds. He is also told not to use any device capable of connecting to the internet.
He’s set to appear in court at the end of November.
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