Regina man charged with making child pornography after tip from Middle East

Regina Police Service Headquarters can be seen in this file photo. (David Prisciak/CTV News)

A Regina man is facing a child pornography charge after a tipster from across the globe reported him to police.

According to a social media post on Tuesday, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) received a call in the early hours of Monday from a man in the Middle East who claimed to have come across a livestream of a man “committing an indecent act in a room a young girl was present in.”

The man from the Middle East said he had been using a randomized online chat room when he came across the livestream.

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He provided details and screenshots to the SPS, which led police to investigate two addresses in Saskatoon that were identified as possibly being involved.

After speaking to the residents at both addresses, police determined they were not involved and continued their investigation.

Meanwhile, the man from the Middle East had re-matched in the chat room with the same suspect and provided police more evidence to assist in the investigation, according to the post.

With the additional evidence, officers determined the suspect to be at a residence in Regina. Officers with the SPS contacted the Regina Police Service (RPS) to conduct a call for service at a home in Regina to make sure the young girl was safe.

When RPS officers arrived at home, they found the 51-year-old suspect and a five-year-old girl. The man was arrested and has been charged with one count of making child pornography.

The man’s electronic devices were seized, with the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation Unit continuing to investigate. According to the SPS, victim services are also involved to support the child while the investigation continues.

“Across international borders and provincial jurisdictions, this is a definitive example of how one report can be the difference in rescuing a victim of crime,” the social media post read, with police urging those to report sexual exploitation crimes to local police or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.