A 70-year-old retired school teacher from North Vancouver has been sent to jail for six months after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
Roger Stephen Fidler was handed the sentence by a North Vancouver provincial court judge Jan. 6 after police seized more than 1,900 sexual images and videos of underage boys that Fidler had downloaded onto a computer hard drive over about two and a half years.
Fidler was caught after an FBI investigation into online sharing of child pornography eventually led authorities to Fidler’s computer account in December 2011.
Fidler, who is retired from a career as a teacher in England, was depressed, isolated and spending a lot of time online when he first accessed the images, said lawyers. Fidler’s defence lawyer suggested his client’s collection was an unintentional result of wanting to view images of young males in natural settings.
But Judge Joanne Challenger didn’t believe that, saying Fidler remains in denial about his involvement in what is a serious offence.
Those who possess child pornography encourage the production of it by creating a market, said Challenger, adding, “The Internet has exponentially facilitated access to child pornography to a degree that is frightening. … It only takes the click of a mouse for a child pornographer to spread images in seconds.”
The judge added viewing and sharing of child pornography may break down inhibitions against other sexual offences against children.
“Society must show its abhorrence for this particular type of crime,” she said.
Fidler had a “moderate to large size collection” of images depicting underage boys.
In handing Fidler the jail sentence, plus two years probation, Challenger noted such offences are often committed by adult men of previous good character.
While on probation, Fidler can only possess one computer and one cellphone, which he must present to an RCMP officer if requested.
Fidler must also give his probation officer information about any account he uses to access the Internet, is banned from attending public parks and swimming areas where people under 16 are likely to be present, and will be placed on the sex offender registry for 10 years.
