Red Deer man jailed for child porn
A Red Deer man swept up in a major child pornography investigation last year has been sentenced to a year in prison.
Darian Blanchard must also serve 18 months’ probation after being convicted of one count of possession of child pornography last week.
Blanchard, who was 21 at the time of his arrest, was among 16 men arrested following an investigation by Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams’ (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team.
Known as Operation Icebreaker, the investigation ran from April to June 2017 and charges were announced in July. Thousands of photos and videos were seized and more than 500 computers and electronic devices seized.
Blanchard was one of two Red Deer men arrested and charged. Andrew Halliday, 28, at the time of his arrest, was convicted last month of one count of possession of child pornography and sentenced to nine months in prison and two years’ probation following his release.
Other men charged included: one from Strathmore; two from of Airdrie, and 11 from Calgary, including one charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
None of the cases were linked other than the similar nature of the offences being committed, authorities said at the time.
Operation Icebreaker was an initiative of the ICE team based in Calgary, which is an integrated unit comprised of officers from Calgary Police, Lethbridge Police, Medicine Hat Police, and RCMP.
ICE investigates offences involving child pornography, any computer-related child sexual abuse, child luring over the internet, voyeurism involving victims under the age of 18, and child sex trade/tourism.
ALERT was established by the Alberta government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.
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