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November 6, 2013 A15

Large child porn collection leads to year in jail

A local man received a 12-month jail sentence after police found an extensive collection of child pornography on his computer. Barry Earl Jefferson had previously pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography following his arrest on March 26. Law enforcement became aware of the 34-year-old’s collection after beginning a general investigation into activity on a peer-to-peer, file-sharing network. In Estevan provincial court on Monday, Crown prosecutor Loreley Berra outlined the proposed sentence for the Crown, calling for a mandatory minimum jail sentence of six months for the possession charge and 12 months for the charge of distributing the material. While she requested the sentences be served consecutively, resulting in 18 months of jail, Jefferson’s counsel David Hickie suggested the sentences be served at the same time as the charges are connected with one another. Presiding Judge James Benison sided with the defence, noting that sentences should be served concurrently if the matters before the court are explicitly linked. As many of the images in Jefferson’s possession were also images he was sharing via the peer-to-peer service, Benison considered the charges to stem from the same place. During the investigation into Jef-

ferson’s activity last January, authorities downloaded 90 complete files directly from Jefferson and the material was deemed child pornography. Berra noted the majority of the images depicted pre-pubescent girls between the ages of six and 12 but some depicted girls as young as three. The investigation found 1,583 images on Jefferson’s computer as well as a video file. Berra noted many of the images were watermarked from LS Magazine, which features pornographic material prominently involving children. She added that many of the images were of children who have since been identified. “Many of these images were also checked in the international child pornography database, and about half the collection is actually of what is called an identified victim,” Berra told the court. “That means over the course of an investigation, through international means, the child has been identified and we know who that child is.” She noted one child was depicted in more than 150 different images. Berra said Jefferson’s pre-sentence report described him referring to a “rush” he received by downloading illegal material. “They are essentially depicting the most vulnerable of our society, those people who need protection. These images are being created for people who

Seven Estevan students graduate from U of S Seven Estevan natives were among the approximately 1,070 students graduated this fall from the University of Saskatchewan. These graduates join a community of more than 140,000 graduates who year after year continue to build upon the success of those before them. U of S alumni include a Canadian prime minister, Nobel Prize winners, award winning authors and artists, ground-breaking researchers, successful business executives and accomplished athletes. Those students graduating this year and

their degrees are: • Jennifer Drennan, Masters of Business Administration. • Justin Fieber, Bachelor of Commerce. • Jessica Gould, Bachelor of Science in Nursing. • Andrew Kitchen, Bachelor of Education. • Kim Mack, Bachelor of Physical Therapy. • Chelsey Peterson, Bachelor of Science in Nursing. • Jacine Styre, Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

RCMP look into fuel theft

The theft of an undisclosed volume of diesel fuel from the Midale Community Pasture in the RM of Cymri is being investigated by the Estevan detachment of the RCMP. The police said the theft occurred sometime between Friday morning, Oct. 25 and the morning of Monday, Oct. 28. Anyone with information regarding this theft is asked to contact the Estevan detachment at 306-6374400 or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. You may also report through SaskTel Mobility, text TIP206 plus your message to CRIMES (274637).

Midale

are downloading and requesting them,” said Berra. Hickie noted that Jefferson admits to having an addiction to pornography for many years and he is currently very active in addiction services and receives counselling regularly through the Sun Country Health Region and his pastor. He said that considering the “positive” steps his client has taken since his arrest, allowing Jefferson to serve his sentences concurrently would be appropriate. Because there is no programming for sexual offenders in the provincial cor-

rectional system, Jefferson will also be subject to a lengthy probationary period of three years following his release. In that time, he is expected to receive assessments and further counselling for any issues he may have. Jefferson will also be registered as a sex offender in the RCMP Sex Offender Registry, and must submit a DNA sample. He also will be prohibited from being in contact with anyone under 16 years of age attend a place where children generally spend time like parks, schools and pools without supervision.

Police say no major incidents spoiled Halloween activities For the second consecutive year, Estevan Police Service members were able to report that Halloween came and went without any major incidents of mischief or vandalism. Police referred to the evening of Oct 31 as rather uneventful from a policing perspective as the warmer temperatures and the lack of snow allowed the youngsters to make their trick or treat residential visits a pretty satisfying experience minus the tricks part of the equation. On the adult side of the evening, EPS members said they charged one 28-year-old driver for driving while his blood alcohol level was over .04 per cent, which led to a 24-hour suspension of his driving privileges. One other man was charged with speeding in a residential area. During a routine check on another vehicle containing a number of young people, police learned that the driver of

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were unregistered vehicles so they were towed off the street. Later that evening police responded to a 911 call that turned out to be a false alarm coming from a local arena. It was discovered that some young children had been playing with the pay phone in the facility and had dialed 911 and then hung up. Police also responded to two calls regarding barking dogs. In both instances, the owners were warned about the local bylaws, and no further action was required.

the vehicle was doing so while suspended, so the vehicle was seized and the driver was issued a ticket. A further check on the occupants of the vehicle uncovered a male passenger who was wanted on outstanding warrants, so he was arrested and given a court date to answer to the charges. On Nov. 2, EPS members responded to a complaint of a couple of vehicles being parked in a certain area of the city. The licence plates on the two vehicles were checked and it was revealed that both

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