A sailor who entered Canada as a crew member aboard a freighter docked at one of North Vancouver's port terminals will be spending longer than he planned in the country after border services inspectors seized a computer containing child pornography.
Huixing Liu, 38, was sent to jail for three months after pleading guilty in North Vancouver provincial court Feb. 21 to possession of child pornography.
Liu was arrested Feb. 18 by North Vancouver RCMP following a routine inspection of the ship he was on by Canada Border Services.
Child pornography was found on his computer.
Liu was also placed on three years' probation with conditions banning him from parks, swimming areas, playgrounds, and areas where children under 16 are likely to be present. While he is on probation, Liu is also banned from contact with anyone under 16.
It isn't the first time crewmembers from freighters docked at local port terminals have been jailed for similar offences.
In 2011, a 25-year-old U.S. sailor caught with hundreds of sexual images of girls between five and 10 on an external hard drive was sent to jail for 18 months.
He told officers about how he was able to access the pornography through a hidden relay system of websites that allowed him to browse the images without being detected.
Last year, a 35-year-old sailor onboard a Chinese-registered freighter was also arrested for having images of child pornography on his laptop.
