Halifax youth facing child pornography charges set to enter plea Nov. 20

A Halifax youth facing child pornography charges for allegedly being involved in an online extremist group has a court date Thursday morning.

HALIFAX — A Halifax youth facing charges of child pornography is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 20 to enter a plea.

Police accuse the youth of being a member of an international extremist group that coerces children into harming themselves and engaging in sexual activity on camera.

The accused has been charged with making and possessing child pornography with the intent to distribute it, with distributing examples of animal cruelty, and inciting hatred against Black people.

Crown attorney Terry Nickerson said Thursday the case was pushed to Nov. 20 to give the defence time to review evidence.

“This was a very large investigation and the disclosure is still ongoing,” Nickerson told reporters outside youth court.

The accused, who remains detained, was not present in court for Thursday’s hearing.

And while the youth is scheduled to enter a plea on Nov. 20, that could change, Nickerson said. “That’s up to the defence and depends on the instructions they receive from their client.”

The youth was arrested earlier in October, after an investigation that started from a tip by the Canadian National Child Exploitation Crime Centre out of Ottawa. Halifax Regional Police and RCMP allege the accused was a member of an online group called 764 -- a subgroup of the larger Com Network.

Police say the group is a virtual community of people who glorify violence and cruelty and whose members use social media and gaming platforms to groom and coerce victims into harming themselves or animals, or engaging in sexual activity on camera. Police say the accused had conversations with hundreds of young people around the world, largely between the ages of 8 and 18.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.