Surrey man sentenced for child exploitation, police say

A Surrey man has been convicted of child exploitation, the RCMP says.

According to police, Joel Andy Daigle, 34, was sentenced on March 17 to 18 months for making and possessing child pornography.

The RCMP says in November 2018, an American detective infiltrated a private group on a chat application that was “dedicated to child sexual exploitation and trafficking of child pornography.”

Police say the detective pretended to be a 14-year-old girl and convinced a chat administrator to add him to the group.

Over several months, investigators and police detectives worked to identify other group members and created new investigations nationally and internationally.

The RCMP says 38 leads were sent to various agencies — including the BC RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit (BC ICE). Mounties say ICE identified Daigle as a suspect, with his home searched in April 2019. Police say he was charged with child exploitation within a year.

“To date, the administrator of the group pleaded guilty to one count of transportation of child pornography in North Carolina and received 65 months imprisonment. Globally, 23 offenders were arrested, including Daigle,” police say.

According to the RCMP, Daigle also received a 20-year order under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act and has to abide by multiple conditions.

Police say child sexual exploitation offences have increased across B.C. and “have a substantial impact on our communities.”