36 Charges Laid in Three Day Investigation
PETERBOROUGH, ON – Eight people have been charged with 36 criminal offences during a joint investigation conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Child Sexual Exploitation Unit (CSEU) and Peterborough Police Service.
“The importance of police services working together cannot be understated. We share our resources and our knowledge to identify those who seek to harm our children. There are no borders or jurisdictions in our fight against child exploitation,” states Inspector Tina Chalk, OPP Counter Exploitation and Missing Person Section.
The investigation, named Project Peacehaven, addressed concerns over how popular social media applications are used by those looking to sexually abuse children. Trained investigators utilized online under-cover techniques to access online chatrooms and social media applications designed for youth to proactively identify, locate and arrest persons looking to sexually exploit children in Peterborough. The investigation took place over three days.
Project Peacehaven highlights include:
- Investigators communicated with 36 suspects beyond simple introductions. The communications established ages which were well outside the consensual parameters established by the Criminal Code and included inappropriate sexualized content. Approximately 30 per cent of these suspects were identified, located and arrested after committing criminal offences.
- Six of the suspects were arrested when they arrived at a set location to meet the child for sexual purposes.
- Two suspects were identified solely through online investigations and arrested outside of a set meeting location.
- One suspect drove over 290 kilometers to meet a child for sexual purposes.
- A repeat offender was arrested who had just completed their ten-year term on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry.
Project Peacehaven list of charged persons.
| NAME | AGE | RESIDENCE | CHARGE |
| Leonard RAZON | 21 | Scarborough, ON |
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| Danny DEPEW | 52 | Abbotsford, BC |
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| Steven MACDONALD | 36 | Delta, ON |
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| William BELL | 55 | Shannonville, ON |
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| Chris PARISH | 49 | Selwyn Township, ON |
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| Joshua BURGOYNE | 40 | Courtice, ON |
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| Jordan COBB | 36 | Simcoe, ON |
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| Nathan JOHNSON | 38 | Omemee, ON |
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The three-day investigation is a snapshot of the dangers children face online. Investigators accessed predicated online chat rooms and social media applications as millions of children do every day. To learn how to keep children safe, go to Canadian Centre for Child Protection. If you have information related to child sexual exploitation contact your local police or report to cybertip.ca.
