An Australian man is facing deportation from Canada and will be placed on the National Sex Offender Registry for 20 years, after being sentenced in Edmonton Tuesday for a conviction of child luring.
Jiashu Weng, 22, was arrested last February after travelling to Edmonton to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex.
Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Paul Belzil also sentenced Weng to one year in jail, but he will not have to serve time as he has been subject to restrictions on his whereabouts since his arrest.
Court documents show that Belzil took into consideration the fact that Weng believed the girl was 14 at the time, and that his “emotional attachment to the complainant was sincere.”
But Belzil also noted aggravating factors, like the fact that Weng travelled from Australia, and “encouraged the complainant to keep sending him naked pictures of herself.”
Charges of possession of child pornography and distributing child pornography were withdrawn.
According to the agreed statement of facts filed in court, Weng had met the girl through an online mobile game in October 2016, and their relationship progressed to sharing sexually explicit photos and messages on social media.
The girl’s mother discovered the online conversations and contacted police. The man was arrested upon his arrival in Canada, and confessed to his intentions.