A covert police investigation for child pornography three years ago resulted in the arrest of a local man, a Sault Ste. Marie judge heard Monday.
Ernest Solomon, 35, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography (videos) for the purpose of distribution and possession of child pornography.
The offences occurred between Jan. 1 and July 27 of 2020.
Assistant Crown attorney Matthew Caputo told the court police noted an IP address, prior to Oct. 19, 2019, that was associated with more than 100 child pornography files.
During a March 2020 investigation, police were able to download four videos.
On July 27, 2020 officers executed a search warrant at a west-end apartment, and the city police technological unit found a computer where several files were located.
The computer belonged to Solomon, whose parents lived there, and where he frequently visited.
Officers seized the computer and found 214 videos and 1,385 images that met the definition of child pornography — the vast majority of which were accessible, Caputo said.
Some fell into the most serious category, he told Superior Court Justice Annalisa Rasaiah.
"It's the worst stuff I've seen," the prosecutor said.
Caputo said he wasn't going to enter the videos as evidence.
It isn't necessary to expose the court to this because "we have a joint position," he explained.
The lawyers proposed a total jail term of 1,010 days, and with the credit he received for his pre-sentence custody, Solomon faces a further sentence of two years less a day behind bars.
This time will be served in a provincial facility.
Two to five years is the sentence range for these offences, Caputo said.
If the matter had gone to trial, he indicated the Crown would have been seeking four to five years.
Solomon has an unrelated criminal record that includes assault and robbery.
Defence lawyer Ken Walker said his client suffers from schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder, which were compounded by his drug use.
"When the opioid crisis overtook Sault Ste. Marie he was one of the victims," he told Rasaiah.
"When he takes crystal meth he doesn't take his prescribed medications and it leads to bizarre behaviour."
Solomon's mental health is a factor and "his recollection is cloudy," Walker said.
"His ability to restrain himself was not at its highest efficiency."
The defence is waiving a Gladue report (which outlines systemic or background circumstances of an Indigenous offender) given the joint sentencing position, he told Rasaiah.
Despite the fact this a late plea, it is a plea nonetheless, Walker said, calling the joint submission reasonable.
"The court is spared the time of a trial and having to look at very disturbing content."
When asked if there was anything he wanted to say, Solomon responded: "I just want to move on."
In addition to the custodial sentence, Rasaiah ordered that his name be added to the national sex offender registry for 20 years.
Solomon will also be on a 10-year order prohibiting from attending parks or public swimming areas where persons under the age of 16 are or can reasonably be expected to be. As well, he must stay away from daycare centres, school yards and playgrounds.
He is prohibited from obtaining employment or being a volunteer that involves a position of trust with anyone under the age of 16.
The order also includes a lengthy list of restrictions on his access to the Internet, computers and other devices.