Saint John man sentenced to 6.5 years for possessing, transmitting child pornography

(Source: RCMP)

A New Brunswick man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after being charged with child pornography-related offences on two separate occasions.

The investigation first began in November 2020 after New Brunswick RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit received information from its National Child Exploitation Crime Centre.

Police executed a search warrant at a home on Belgian Road in Saint John on Feb. 22, 2023, in connection with the investigation.

Officers arrested a 31-year-old man at the scene and seized several electronic devices.

The man was later released on conditions, pending a future court appearance.

Justin Hébert was charged with possession of child pornography and transmitting child pornography in Saint John provincial court on May 12, 2023.

Hébert plead guilty to the charges, as well as breaching conditions, on Aug. 23, 2024.

He was later released on conditions.

Less than two months later, the Saint John Police Force responded to a call for service on Belgian Road on Oct. 5, 2024.

Police say Hébert was breaching an undertaking to not communicate with or be in the presence of someone under the age of 16.

He was arrested and taken into custody. Police also seized a cellphone.

Police obtained a search warrant for the cellphone later that month. As a result, Hébert was charged with additional offences of possessing child pornography, transmitting child pornography and breaching conditions.

He appeared in court last Thursday and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Hébert, who is now 33, was also ordered to register with the National Sex Offender Registry for 20 years and provide a sample of his DNA.

He will have to abide by conditions set out by the court after his release. The conditions include not communicating with anyone under the age of 16 and not attending any place that someone under the age of 16 is known to be for 10 years.

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