Two Ottawa men among dozens charged in large child sexual exploitation case

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) laid over 100 charges in a huge child exploitation investigation that arrested 36 people including two men from the nation’s capital.

Police said that a combined total of 128 criminal charges were laid in the province-wide initiative to crack down on child luring. The 21 policing agencies across Ontario launched investigations from March 31 to April 11 where officers went undercover to access online chatrooms and social media applications to identify, locate and arrest people looking to sexually exploit children.

As a result, Dominic Gamble, 40, and Marc Tasse, 61, of Ottawa are both charged with two counts each of luring a person under 16. The first accused is set to appear in court on July 9 and was released from custody. The second has a court date of June 5 and was also released from custody.

“These results highlight a sobering reality: predators can easily reach children in online spaces,” OPP Detective Staff Sergeant Tim Brown, said. “We urge parents and guardians to remain vigilant and to talk to your children about staying safe online. Just as you wouldn’t leave your child alone in a city, don’t let them navigate the online world alone.”

In a press release, officials said that even though this project had police pose as children online and waited for offenders to make contact, during the investigation, nine real victims were identified. They have been given support, police said.

All of the accused are male, with ages ranging from 18 to 73. One of the people caught by police arrived at a meeting with “snacks” and another arrived with “lubricant and condoms.”

Officials say this case is not closed as there are still 51 ongoing investigations.

“The Provincial Internet Child Exploitation Strategy police partners have noted a significant rise in reports of online child sexual exploitation and child sexual abuse material in recent years,” OPP said.