RCMP and ALERT have released the following:
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team’s Internet Child Exploitation unit (ICE) has charged a Fort McMurray man with child pornography and voyeurism offences allegedly committed at public swimming pools in Alberta between 2009 and 2010.
In March 2011,Wood Buffalo RCMP detachment asked members of the northern ICE unit to assist with an investigation into information they received from a member of the public about suspicious photos found on a camera. A joint investigation between Wood Buffalo RCMP and ICE resulted in search warrants being executed at residences in Fort McMurray and St. Albert. Computers and electronic storage media were seized for forensic examination.
Stephen Thomas Deighton, age 44, has been charged with 13 offences, including five counts of making child pornography, 1 count of possessing child pornography, one count of accessing child pornography, and six counts of voyeurism.
Throughout the course of the investigation, ICE identified five swimming pools in Alberta where Deighton allegedly took photos and video of children. Some of the photos and videos appear to have been taken in family change rooms and included children in various stages of undress. Also, photos and videos were taken within the swimming pool area and underwater. It is believed the camera was concealed in various ways to avoid detection.
No victims have been identified at this time. The majority of photos and videos do not include the children’s faces making them unidentifiable. A small number of photos and videos have shown faces and attempts are being made to identify those victims.
The swimming pools identified by investigators are McDonald Island Park in Fort McMurray, Servus Place in St. Albert, Millennium Place in Sherwood Park, West Edmonton Mall World Waterpark in Edmonton, and Southland Leisure Centre in Calgary.
Deighton made his first court appearance on October 12 in Fort McMurray. He has been released on a number of conditions including not attending any place where children under the age of 18 are known to frequent including recreation complexes, swimming pools, parks and schools. He is also not to be in possession of any device that can capture or store visual recordings. His next court appearance is on November 9 in Fort McMurray.
There are legitimate reasons for people to use cameras at swimming pools, but parents can help protect their children from being victimized in this way by watching for and reporting suspicious activity when out in public places where children often congregate, like playgrounds, swimming pools, and recreational facilities.
ICE investigates the sexual exploitation of children through the Internet and works to reduce harm through public education and prevention programs.
ALERT is an umbrella organization established by the Government of Alberta to bring together the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources to tackle serious and organized crime. Close to 400 municipal police, RCMP and sheriffs work for ALERT.
