TRURO HEIGHTS/ENFIELD: A 49-year-old Truro Heights man has been arrested for child pornography offences following an investigation by N.S. RCMP’s provincial Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit.
Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay, with N.S. RCMP, said that on Nov. 16 ICE, with assistance from officers with East Hants RCMP at the Enfield detachment and the RCMP’s Digital Forensic Services, searched a home in Truro Heights.
The search followed notification by U.S. Law Enforcement and a Social Media platform that a N.S. man was communicating with children online for a sexual purpose.
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Following the search and subsequent investigation, Laurie Whidden, 49, was charged with:
- Possession of Child Pornography
- Transmitting Child Pornography
- Luring a Child
- Making Sexually Explicit Material Available to a Child
- Agreement to Commit an Offence Against a Child
- Failure to Comply with Prohibition Order
This is the second time Whidden has been charged for such offences.
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Whidden appeared in Truro Provincial Court on Nov. 16.
He remains in custody and will return in court on January 10, 2024.
In Nova Scotia, it’s mandatory for citizens to report suspected child pornography. Anyone who encounters child pornography material or recordings must report it to police. Failing to report suspicious activity could result in penalties similar to failure to report child abuse set out in the Child and Family Services Act.
The RCMP encourages citizens to be a voice for children who are victims of sexual exploitation by reporting any suspected offences to their local police or by using Canada’s National tip site for reporting online sexual exploitation of children: www.cybertip.ca.
File #: 2023-1350827
