A man who possessed thousands of pornographic images of his girlfriend’s young daughter has pleaded guilty to sexual interference, making and possessing child porn, and voyeurism.
The 35-year-old man, whose name is subject to a publication ban to protect the girl’s identity, appeared in a Hamilton courtroom Friday to make his plea.
Court documents show that the man started abusing the girl in July 2015, when she was seven years old.
The abuse continued until April 2016, a few days before the girl told her biological father about what was happening. Police were contacted and the man was arrested in short order.
During the period of the abuse, the man was living in Hamilton with his girlfriend and her three children.
According to an agreed statement of facts – outlining aspects of the case which the man agrees are true – the man would wake up the girl up late at night, dress her in “lingerie-type outfits” and sexually assault her.
He also began to advertise the girl’s availability for such assaults online, looking for others interested in taking part.
Several people responded to the ads, including Waterloo resident Rui DaSilva. DaSilva twice visited the man and girl on his own. On his third trip, he brought along Sonya Lucas, a Kitchener woman who was working as an escort.
The judge heard that the man, DaSilva and Lucas abused the girl together and recorded video of their actions.
DaSilva has already been sentenced to an eight-year prison term for his role in abusing the girl, while Lucas is awaiting a sentencing hearing.
As part of their investigation, police seized electronic devices belonging to the man. On those devices, investigators found 4,117 images and videos that meet the definition of child pornography, 3,970 of which involved the young girl.
Another video showed the girl’s 16-year-old sister naked in a bathroom, unaware she was being recorded through a hole in the wall.
When the man was first questioned by police, he denied that he had done anything wrong. He admitted to guilt when his ex-wife visited him in prison, calling himself a monster for what he had dibe,
The man’s sentencing hearing is expected to take place in January. The Crown will be seeking a 10-year prison sentence.
With reporting by Nicole Lampa