Alberta’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit has charged a Fort McMurray man in connection with photographs and videos taken of children at swimming pools including Servus Credit Union Place.
Stephen Thomas Deighton, 44, has been charged with six counts of voyeurism, five counts of making child pornography and one count of accessing child pornography.
Sgt. Mike Lokken with the ICE unit said the issue first came to light when someone noticed the photos on a camera.
“It was as a result of a citizen who found some pictures on a camera and then alerted the police in Fort McMurray.”
After an investigation, police searched Deighton’s home in Fort McMurray as well as one he had access to in St. Albert.
The images on the camera include children in various stages of undress at six pools across Alberta. In addition to Servus Place they include McDonald Island in Fort McMurray, Millennium Place in Sherwood Park, West Edmonton Mall’s World Waterpark and Southland Leisure Centre in Calgary.
Lokken said most of the children in the video are unidentifiable because they don’t include the child’s face. He said in the case where the child can be seen the children are generally clothed or in their bathing suits.
Some of the images were taken in public areas and others were taken in changing rooms. The images were taken between 2009 and 2010.
Lokken said it is important for parents to remember that at parks, swimming pools and play areas most people using a camera are going to have no ill intent.
“Not everyone with a camera is using it for illicit purposes.”
He said the things parents will want to look out for are anyone taking many photographs of people who are not their children, or other suspicious behaviour.
Deighton made his first court appearance on Wednesday and will make his next appearance on Nov. 9.
Under the conditions of his release he will be banned from any location where children would be reasonably expected, like pools, parks, schools and daycare centres. He is also prohibited from owning anything that can capture video or photographs.
