CALGARY — A Calgary police officer has pleaded guilty to trying to lure a teen over the Internet.
But he claims he was entrapped by his fellow officers and is arguing the charges should be stayed.
Const. Randann Sargent admitted to asking an undercover police officer posing as a 17-year-old girl to send him a nude photo on the computer.
On Tuesday, an undercover officer testified he posed as a 17-year-old girl online and started sexual discussions with Sargent.
When Sargent, 27, learned she was underage, he told her to get back in touch when she turned 18.
In conversations that happened later, the court heard, Sargent asked for a pornographic photo of the girl. That photo would fall under the definition of child pornography.
Sargent had been with the police service for 21/2 years when the charge was laid last June. He was suspended from duty and the police chief ruled his pay would also be suspended while the case worked its way through court.
The investigation started in July 2008 when Strathmore RCMP were concerned with contact he was having with a 15-year-old girl, who was telling him she was 18. No charges were laid in that case.
Police were also concerned about 600 messages he had sent to women asking them if they wanted to contact him about sex.
Some of those were teenaged girls, but he told them he only wanted to hear from women 18 or older.
Sargent’s lawyer, Willie de Witt, says a guilty plea was necessary to proceed with the entrapment argument.