Comox Valley Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges

A Comox Valley man will spend the next six months in prison for possessing and distributing child pornography.

A Comox Valley man will spend the next six months in prison for possessing and distributing child pornography.

Joseph Stephane Mallette had pleaded guilty to two charges in Courtenay Provincial Court in late 2021 and was in court May 30 for sentencing. The 40-year-old had no prior criminal record.

Judge Catherine Crockett accepted the joint submission from Crown and defence counsel, which included two years probation and two victim surcharge fines of $200 each, a DNA order and an order restricting contact with people under 16 years of age, particularly at locations such as pools, parks and schools

Mallette described the last couple of years he spent at home with his family as his most peaceful. He had spent 13 years commuting to work in the oil fields in Alberta and likened the job to being in jail. During this time, he said, he was drinking more and lonely. It was then he started viewing child pornography sites.

In September 2018 though, police started investigating and eventually identified him through a chat site. At this point he sent a number of files online. In May 2020, investigators conducted a search at a residence in the Courtenay area and found more than 500 photographic images and almost 100 videos categorized as child pornography on his electronic devices.