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Police officers in Saskatchewan worked together to rescue a five-year-old girl who was being abused in Regina, after the case came to light through a complaint from overseas.
According to the Saskatoon Police Service, officers got a call early on Monday morning from a man in the Middle East. Police said the complainant was logged on to a randomized online chat room when he saw a live stream showing a man “committing an indecent act in a room where a prepubescent girl was also present.”
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Police said the man provided screenshots and details to help further the investigation. Officers initially visited two residences in Saskatoon that were identified as possibly being involved, but came up empty in both cases.
“While the investigation was continuing, the complainant, nearly 11,000 kilometers away, had re-matched in the chat room with the same suspect and obtained further evidence to assist in the investigation,” the police force said in a statement.
“Through fast and exemplary police work, officers determined the suspect was believed to be at a residence in Regina.”
Saskatoon officers contacted the Regina Police Service, and police in the Queen City went to the home where they found a 51-year-old man and a five-year-old girl.
The man was arrested and charged with making child pornography, police said. His electronic devices were seized, and the case remains under investigation by the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
The girl is being supported by victim services staff, police added.
“Across international borders and provincial jurisdictions, this is a definitive example of how one report can be the difference in rescuing a victim of crime,” the Saskatoon Police Service added.
“If you believe a child to be in danger of sexual exploitation or abuse, report it to your local police or notify the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.”
During an interview on the Evan Bray Show on Wednesday, Lorilee Davies, acting chief of the Regina Police Service, said officers went to the home around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, where they “found somebody who had a young child with them in a situation that would be described as creating child pornography.”
Davies said it’s a reminder that these types of cases happen can close to home.
“As a community, we can understand that maybe there are people who view that type of information on the Internet, or perhaps possess it, but I think it was a bit of a wake-up call for everybody to say that it actually is being produced here in our city,” she said.
When asked whether the caller from the Middle East was using a child pornography website himself when he spotted and reported the live stream, Davies said she wasn’t sure.
Davies said it’s clear that he had access to the broadcast in real time, but she didn’t know what the website was. She said the Internet Child Exploitation Unit will be investigating further.
