In June 2015, a young male victim (under the age of 18), who will not be identified to protect his identity, reported to the RCMP that he had been coerced to send nude images of himself to an unknown online persona. A lengthy police investigation was launched by the Saskatchewan ICE Unit and Warman/Martensville RCMP, including a preliminary forensic examination of a laptop seized during the execution of a search warrant on December 16, 2015 at a residence located in the west of Saskatoon. During this examination of the laptop, investigators located suspect on-line accounts along with images of the victim.
On December 16, 2015, a 25-year-old male was arrested and charged with 2 counts of Luring a Child, 1 count of Possession of Child Pornography, and 1 count of Making Child Pornography Ethan J. FERGUSSON (DOB 1990-03-28). FERGUSSON made his first court appearance in Saskatoon, Thursday morning, December 17, 2015 and was remanded in custody till Monday December 21, 2015.
Police would like to take this opportunity to remind the public to exercise caution when communicating with other individuals online as it is impossible to be sure of the actual identity of the person behind the profile.
The Saskatchewan ICE Unit is comprised of investigators from the R.C.M.P., Regina Police Service, Saskatoon Police Service and Prince Albert Police Service. Their mandate is to investigate crimes involving the abuse and/or exploitation of children on the Internet.