The young male came to Vancouver and got caught up in Bennest's sordid web. Upon the young male's return to New Brunswick, the information concerning Bennest was brought to the local police who provided it to Vancouver investigators on the very day they were applying for search warrants. Information was developed in the investigation linking Bennest to John Robin Sharpe, who currently stands accused in both Vancouver and Surrey of possessing, making and distributing child pornography. When Sharpe was arrested, police spokesman Anne Drennan, called the seizure of kiddie porn from him the largest in Vancouver's history, with some of the most disgusting material imaginable. Yet, the Crown stood mute when Kitchen said, in sentencing, that Bennest had no intention of sharing or distributing the child pornography he had made.
Plea bargains happen all the time.
But, in this case, there was an outrageous breach of trust involved, committed by a school principal by being involved in kiddie porn and, indeed, even manipulating a student from the very school for which he was master, for his own sexual purposes. Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh has said he has his officials looking into the matter. He should, considering at whatever level, it was someone employed by his ministry who made the deal. I anticipate the AG will announce an appeal of the sentence. But we should not let it rest at that.