An Alberta father has been arrested for incest and sexual exploitation offences allegedly committed against his own child.
The charges are the result of an investigation by ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation team.
“We have reason to believe the offences were occuring over a period of years,” Insp. Dave Dubnyk said Friday at a news conference.
“It goes without saying, these are tragic circumstances. And understandably the road to healing is going to be a long and difficult one for the victim.”
The abuse was uncovered during the examination of a cellphone seized when a search warrant was executed on the accused’s home in May 2016.
Seven computers and electronic devices were seized. They contained approximately 4,000 photos and 900 videos of child sexual exploitation.
During the forensic analysis, investigators identified a video they thought involved the accused committing sexual abuse against a child.
The man was charged with multiple child pornography-related offences, and was arrested for a second time on Aug. 17.
He has been charged with incest, sexual exploitation, sexual assault. Additional charges are being considered, police said.
The man was released on bail with several conditions, including that he not have any contact with the victim and not return to the residence, pending a court appearance on Sept. 15.
The offences allegedly took place in a small town in the Edmonton area. To protect the identity of the child, investigators will not identify the community or the accused.
Under the Criminal Code definition, incest is sexual intercourse with a known blood relative.