St. Catharines man facing child pornography charges

NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE
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In May of 2024, Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) Detectives assigned to the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit began an investigation into the upload of child sexual abuse material to Facebook messenger.

On June 19, 2024, Detectives from the Niagara Regional Police Service ICE Unit and Technological Crime Unit executed a search warrant at a private residence in St. Catharines and seized numerous devices capable of storing electronic data. Evidence uncovered by forensic examination of the devices resulted in the arrest of Jason John George Haughie (45 yrs. of St. Catharines) on July 24, 2024. He is now facing the following Criminal Code charges:

• Possession of child pornography (two counts)
• Accessing child pornography
• Making child pornography available
• Failing to comply with prohibition order

Jason John George Haughie was held in custody after his arrest and is set to appear for a bail hearing on July 24, 2024, at the Robert S.K. Welch Courthouse, located at 59 Church Street, in the City of St. Catharines.

Online platforms that allow like-minded users to create, share and store Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) are prevalent on the Internet. Offenders who try and hide their illegal CSAM collections behind an anonymous account in the “cloud” can be identified and will be held accountable for their actions.

For more information on how parents and guardians can keep children safe online, click here.

The Niagara Regional Police Service is a member of the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on the Internet and conducts investigations into Internet Child Exploitation Offences in partnership with Ontario Police Services and International Partners. This investigative initiative has been made possible by a grant from the Ministry of the Solicitor General.

Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information that leads to an arrest.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The accused person/people facing charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

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