A young Port Moody female was reportedly threatened by a suspect in 2021, who said they would post "intimate" photos they obtained of her online unless she sent more.
More than a year later, Jesse Toews of Abbotsford is now facing "sextortion" related charges recently approved by prosecutors.
Today (Dec. 8), Port Moody police (PMPD) spokesperson Const. Sam Zacharias is commending the victim for calling officers of the incident.
"This investigation was sophisticated and technical," he explained in a release, "uncovering other alleged compromised data and other potential victims."
According to the PMPD, the girl said she was contacted by a suspect online, claiming they possessed password protected images of her from a cloud-based platform.
Zacharias added, unless she sent more of them, the online perp said they were going to distribute the photos.
The local resident called police last October, who assigned its major crimes section to launch, what turned out to be, a year-long investigation.
An arrest, search warrant and device seizures were included in the case, Zacharias said.
Toews was approved of the following charges by the BC Prosecution Service on Nov. 29:
- Possession of child pornography
- Contrary to section 163.1(4) of the Criminal Code of Canada
- Using a computer password to commit an offence
- Contrary to section 342.1(1)(d) of the Criminal Code of Canada
Statistics Canada research showed, in 2020, there were 131 incidents per 100,000 children and youth exploited and abused online compared to 50 per 100,000 in 2014.
As well, three out of four victims in that same span were girls aged 12 to 17.
Zacharias urges any member of the public who believes they are a victim of "sextortion," or extortion of any kind, to call PMPD right away at 604-461-3456.
