Father of 2 jailed for snapping pics of kids, child porn possession

Scarborough parents can breathe easier now that a professional photographer who snapped voyeuristic pictures of boys changing in public places, including the Toronto Zoo, is headed to jail.

On Nov. 24., 46-year-old Brian Fothergill pleaded guilty to five charges, including possession of child pornography, and was sentenced to nearly two years in prison.

There was no evidence he ever “committed any hands-on sexual offences on a child,” Crown attorney Rachel Young told the Toronto Sun. “But he has crossed the line by taking photos.”

In addition to prison time, Fothergill faces three years of probation and a permanent ban from any public area frequented by children, such as daycares and playgrounds.

The father of two was initially arrested on April 8, 2009, after a man spotted him taking pictures of boys changing at the Jimmy Simpson Recreation Centre using a camera hidden under his arm. He reportedly admitted to police to having this problem for 30 years.

Police seized his memory stick on the scene and eventually executed a search warrant at his house, seizing several computers and hard drives. The court heard that in total police found 2,713 child pornography images, 246 of which were shot by Fothergill.

Young told the court there were also 13,589 images of child nudity, including some of kids changing at Birchmount Pool and the Toronto Zoo.

Fothergill was arrested a second time in September for violating his initial bail conditions banning him from attending public areas where there were children.

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By: Josh Ungar
Posted: Nov 25 2010 11:03 am
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