By Patrick Burles

Lethbridge man gets 18 months in jail for possession of child porn

Oct 26, 2017 | 10:06 AM

A 27-year-old Lethbridge man has been handed an 18-month jail sentence, for what the Crown prosecutor Carolyn Ayre once called “one of the most egregious” child pornography cases she has ever dealt with.

John Tulloch’s sentence on one count of possession of child pornography ended up matching the recommendation put forward by the Crown, and was six months over the 12-months that the defence had suggested.

Following the sentence, he will also have three-years of probation and will go onto the sex offender registry for 20-years.

While outlining his decision, Judge Paul Pharo stated that over 10,000 images of child pornography were found on Tulloch’s computer, along with over 200 videos.

Pharo continued by noting that 75-per cent of Tulloch’s collection involved children under the age of five, with the majority of those being under three. He added that some of the content was of kids as young as one or two years of age, and that it encompassed “every kind of sex act”, even one video of bestiality. The videos ranged in length from a few seconds, to as long as three hours.

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Citing a pre-sentence report that had been prepared for Tulloch, Pharo explained that Tulloch lives with his mother and has never had a girlfriend. The report also revealed that Tulloch has a pornography addiction and that he started looking at internet porn for multiple hours every day when he was a teenager.

After his arrest, Tulloch went to three counsellors to seek treatment, with all three reporting to the court that he showed remorse and some insight into his problem. One also noted that he seemed to show a great deal of shame for his actions.

During the sentencing hearing in August, Tulloch’s lawyer, Mansoor Khan, read a letter that had been prepared by his client. In it, Tulloch admitted that he had an addiction to pornography and that he moved on to child porn to find something new.

“This is true hell,” he added. “Some people may call me a monster, but I’m not… I’m no threat to anyone.”

John Tulloch threatens a Lethbridge News Now reporter while leaving the courthouse after his sentencing hearing in August

Pharo acknowledged those as mitigating factors, along with Tulloch’s guilty plea, his lack of a criminal record and the fact that he had lost his job after being charged.

Having said that, Pharo then went over the aggravating factors, which included the significant size of the collection, the extremely graphic nature of it, the fact that he had been viewing it for an extended period of time (Dec. 17, 2008 and Apr. 12, 2016) and that the collection was accessible to others on a file sharing network.

He then pointed out the importance and need to reduce the market for child pornography.

As mentioned earlier, Tulloch will have three-years of probation after his release, during which time he will be bound by a number of conditions.

He can have no contact with anyone under the age of 16, he must attend for any counselling that is recommended by his probation officer for issues such as addictions and self-esteem, and he cannot attend any school, playground, public park or swimming pool where children under the age of 16 are likely to be present. Tulloch is also barred from working or volunteering anywhere that would put him in a position of trust for anyone under the age of 16.

While on probation, Tulloch will also be prohibited from possessing any type of pornography or having internet or computer access. Should he get a cellphone that can access the internet, he must turn the device over to his probation officer on demand for inspection, as well as his billing and service information.

Tulloch was charged in June of 2016, as part of the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Storm 3 Operation, focused on targeting individuals that were sharing photos or videos on peer-to-peer networks.

An ICE detective tracked Tulloch down by investigating a file sharing network called Gnutella. He found a user was in possession of child pornography, and tracked their IP address to a home in Lethbridge.

A search of the home resulted in the seizure of numerous electronic devices and Tulloch’s arrest.