Convicted pedophile Christopher Neil leaves Richmond Provincial court in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012. A British Columbia man who spent five years in a Thai prison for sexually abusing children after an image of his digitally obscured face was reconstructed is facing new allegations that he has viewed child pornography since returning to Canada.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
December 18, 2013 - 11:58 AM
RICHMOND, B.C. - The Crown says police have uncovered evidence that suggests a B.C. man who spent five years in a Thai prison for sexually abusing children has viewed child pornography since his return to Canada.
Christopher Neil was arrested in Bangkok in the fall of 2007 after police seized images from a storage locker depicting him engaged in sex acts with children.
Neil hadn't been charged in Canada, but police and prosecutors successfully sought a series of conditions under a Criminal Code section designed to protect the public.
Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to breaching a condition that prevented him from having a device capable of connecting to the Internet, though he has yet to be sentenced.
A Crown lawyer told a provincial court judge that police examined Neil's laptop and found evidence of child pornography, including videos and photos.
The case gained international attention when police discovered pictures of child abuse, though the face of the man was obscured by a swirl, which was later removed to reveal Neil's face. The latest allegations that Neil viewed child porn have not yet been tested in court.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013