Toronto man charged in Guelph Police Service child sexual exploitation investigation

Two hands are illuminated by the screen of a cellphone in this undated stock image. (Jaroslav Maléř/Pexels.com)

A man from Toronto is facing several child luring charges after speaking with a police officer who he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

Between mid-November and late-January, a detective with the Guelph Police Service began posing as a 13-year-old girl online as part of a proactive investigation. Police said the detective was repeatedly contacted by a man who sent sexually explicit messages. The man also tried to set up a meeting to have sex with the girl.

The detective then learned two other policing services were conducting similar investigations involving the same man.

On Feb. 13, the 65-year-old from Toronto was arrested on 10 counts of luring a child under the age of 16. A cell phone was also seized, leading to a charge of possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material.

Charges regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation material formerly used the term “child pornography.”