An “incomprehensible” case of an Alberta man accused of using his three daughters for sex represents a new form of child exploitation which is proliferating in the internet’s darkest corners, says an Edmonton investigator.
“We’re not keeping up with the cases right now,” said Edmonton police Staff Sgt. Stephen Camp with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams child exploitation unit. “It’s virtually impossible.
“The world of technology has grown exponentially and I think internet child exploitation units across the world, our partners across the world, are having trouble keeping up.”
A 41-year-old father from a small town west of Edmonton faces 23 sex charges, including incest, procurement of a child for sex and human trafficking.
The accused also faces 17 weapons charges after a cache of illegal firearms was found at the family acreage, which Camp described as a compound where the girls lived in isolation.
The man is accused of abusing his daughters many times over the past six years, while the girls were all under the age of 18.
One of the daughters was allegedly procured for sex with strangers more than once, with the father recording the encounters on video, police said.
Camp said while the details of the abuse were sickening for even the most seasoned of his investigators, the case is indicative of a troubling trend.
The illicit sharing of child pornography on the internet has changed the way abusers and pedophiles operate, Camp said.
They are not only consuming child pornography, but creating and sharing their own, bringing horrific abuse into households across the province, and exposing the victims to further humiliation.
Investigators have been inundated by the barrage of images and videos being posted daily.
‘It’s an arduous, arduous process’
“Today, child porn, it’s not just about possession and distribution,” Camp said. “In that world of child porn comes child victimization.
Investigators are finding that technology is allowing individuals to victimize children locally and upload the material internationally, he said.
“We’re not just going in for collectors, we’re going in for child exploitation and child rescue. Our mandate has changed.”
Even after a suspect is apprehended, the investigative burden of the cases is enormous, said Camp.
A single computer can contain thousands of files. And each one must examined and itemized by investigators.
“It’s quite challenging for our forensic examiners to get through those files … It’s an arduous, arduous process, hundreds and hundreds of images per file and we’re going to hit over 500 this year.”
The man remains in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre since his arrest last year while police investigated further.
‘Their road to recovery is going to be long’
He is scheduled to appear Monday in provincial court in Evansburg, 100 kilometres west of Edmonton.
The man’s name is not being released to protect the identities of the girls.
His daughters are getting help from a number of agencies.
Despite the years they spent as prisoners of their father’s abuse, the daughters are ready to face the court proceedings “head on,” said Camp who, in his 26 years of policing, has never seen a case this horrific.
“Their road to recovery is going to be long, it’s going to be difficult but this group is quite strong and quite resilient,” Camp said.
“They’ve made significant steps in their progress already. It actually surprised our membership how fast they’re beginning to move forward. They’re quite the amazing trio.”
ALERT teams, funded by the Alberta government, draw members from the sheriffs’ department, the RCMP and police forces from across the province. They are dedicated to investigating serious crimes and organized crime.