April 2001
POLICE MUST WADE THROUGH 600 PORN TAPES
Some victims believed to be as young as 10
Bob Mitchell
Peel/ Halton Bureau Chief
A group of Peel Region police officers will spend the next several months looking at movies, some homemade, some Hollywood blockbusters.
They won‚’t enjoy a single frame.
Their gut-wrenching task will be to review the 600 videotapes believed to contain child pornography that were seized last week from a man‚’s Brampton home.
Some of his victims are believed to be as young as 10.
Police have no idea how many children and teenagers have been victims, but they fear the man may have been producing child pornography and sexually assaulting his victims for more than 20 years.
“It‚’s horrific,” said Peel Morality Inspector John Nielson. “This person has destroyed lives.”
When police searched the residence last Monday night, they found more than 1000 photographs of children and teenagers performing sexual acts.
There is also evidence that he has no means of secretly videotaping his victims, some of whom appear to have been willing participants, police say.
On seeing the apartment, Nielson described him as a “one man production crew” for child pornography.
“I‚’ve never seen anything like this ever in Peel,” Nielson said.
Numerous real movies were contained in seized collection.
Police say pornographers often insert their footage in the middle of regular movies to fool authorities.
Police won‚’t say how the man enticed his victims into his apartment, but a small amount of marijuana, hash, magic mushrooms, were found inside the apartment, as well as video games.
The police investigation will determine if the man sold the pictures or kept them for his own gratification.
Police sources said the man didn‚’t have a phone and wasn‚’t hooked up to the internet when they searched his apartment.
Officers seized more than 30 cameras and an assortment of computer equipment.
“We have 8-millimeter stuff. We have a 35-millimeter photograph. There is a tremendous amount.” Nielson said, adding some of the photographs date back 15 to 20 years based on their style of clothing and hair.
Police said some of the older photos indicate the man developed the pictures himself. Since there wasn‚’t a dark room inside his apartment, there might be another location.
Drugs, videogames, cameras found in apartment
“Some of the photos were obviously taken elsewhere,” Nielson said.
John Brian Wyton, 52, of McMurchy Ave. in Brampton is charged with gross indecency sexual assault, possession of child pornography, and possession of controlled substances. Police sources say he was known as Brian.
Wyton, who police describe as a millwright, has already made 2 appearances in court and his bail hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Brampton.
It is likely defence lawyer Gary Batasar will seek and be granted a publication ban.