The judge dismissed two counts of simple possession against a Vancouver man, ruling the threat to privacy and freedom of expression rights posed by that section of the Criminal Code outweighed its limited benefits to society. Police then raided the Vancouver man's home and seized additional books, manuscripts and pictures they allege contained child pornography of young boys. I find that the limited effectiveness of the prohibition is insufficient to warrant its highly invasive effects,'' Shaw said. British Columbia Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh said the province was considering an appeal, but would not make a decision until after it received rulings on other aspects of Sharpe's case. Bob Matthews, head of the child-pornography division with the Ontario Provincial Police.
Possession is basically our foot in the door.
Matthews made his comments in light of a B.C. Supreme Court ruling last week that struck down a section of the Criminal Code that makes it illegal to possess child pornography. Last year, the unit executed 59 search warrants, laid 110 charges, arrested 28 people, and performed 134 investigations. Matthews says those numbers don't even make a dent in the market for child pornography, and he expects them to double this year. And if simple possession of child pornography becomes legal, he added,finding the evidence needed to start an investigation will be extremely difficult. Very rarely do we have enough evidence to get a warrant for distributing or making child pornography.