Sentencing hearing for ex-Ont deputy education minister hears child porn details
Premier Wynne – Benjamin Levin
Sentencing hearing for ex-Ont deputy education minister hears child porn details
Child pornography files found on a computer belonging to a man who was once deputy education minister for Ontario and Manitoba were described in graphic detail Monday as his sentencing hearing got underway in a Toronto courtroom.
Benjamin Levin pleaded guilty to three child pornography-related charges last month. The 63-year-old was originally charged with seven child porn-related offences.
The Toronto police detective who led the investigation into Levin was called as a Crown witness and described a number of files found on Levin’s computer, which were considered child pornography.
The images themselves, and two videos, were shown only to the judge presiding over the case, but court heard that all of them involved girls under the age of 18, with many of them considered pre-pubescent.
Levin took notes and kept his eyes cast downward as the files found on his computer were described.
In a written statement distributed by his lawyer, he has said he’s “deeply ashamed” of his actions.
A forensic psychiatrist, called to testify Monday by Levin’s lawyer, determined in an assessment that Levin had a “pedophilic interest in children” but that his behaviours were at “a fantasy level,” court heard.
Levin had “distorted beliefs” that his fantasies were harmless, but he did not engage in any “hands on” sexual abuse, said Dr. Julian Gojer.
The risk in Levin’s behaviour was the impact his fantasies may have had with the people he discussed them with online, Gojer suggested.
“He’s talked about sadistic acts involving children,” Gojer said. “There is a concern that the behaviour this man engaged in had the potential to cause some children harm.”
Levin’s lawyer, Clayton Ruby, noted, however, that among the about 2,000 pornographic images found on Levin’s computer, only a small portion — some 14 images and two videos — were found to be child pornography.
When asked to comment on that observation Gojer said the numbers indicated that from a visual perspective, Levin had a limited interest in child pornography.
“This individual’s fantasies were fuelled more by chats,” he said.
Court has heard that Levin used to frequent an online website with numerous chatrooms for the discussion of sexual activities.
His profile on the site was created in 2010 and indicated his sexuality as “nothing is taboo.”
Among the people he chatted with were an undercover officer in Toronto, one in London, Ont., and one in New Zealand — all posing as women interested in sexual activities with children.
Court heard that while Levin didn’t think the profiles of the undercover officers were real, he didn’t ask or suggest if they were fake, nor did he explicitly suggest that his exchanges with them were intended to be pure fantasy.
Levin counselled his online chat partners to sexually assault their children, court heard. He “normalized and encouraged the sexual touching of the girls by their mother,” court heard through a statement of facts.
Levin was arrested in July 2013 when a search warrant was executed at his home. Police found numerous child pornography files on a digital device.
Police at the time asked any victims of Levin to come forward, but, court heard “to date no one has done so.”