A 26-year-old Nanaimo man could face child luring and child pornography charges in what police believe is a case of "grooming" young girls for sex.
The suspect was arrested late Wednesday evening at his home, and police seized several computers and hard drives.
Nanaimo RCMP are recommending charges of child luring, and a forensic team is analyzing the contents of the computers and hard drives to determine if child pornography charges are warranted.
Child luring is a relatively new addition to Canada's criminal code. It was introduced in 2002, and covers communicating with under-aged people online for the purpose of commiting an offence.
Const. Gary O'Brien told ctvbc.ca that police believe the suspect may have been "grooming" teenage girls in the Nanaimo area, building relationships with them in the hopes of receiving sexual favours.
In this case, O'Brien said that the suspect allegedly met with at least one girl in a public place, and then continued the relationship online. Investigators are currently looking into the possibility of additional victims.
"One young girl has been identified, and this does not rule out the possibility that there are several more," O'Brien said.
Police are not releasing the girl's exact age, but say she is between 12 and 14.
The suspect was released from custody Thursday on a promise to appear notice, and is scheduled to appear in court in July.
The conditions of his release include that he not be found in the company of anyone younger than 16 unless accompanied by an adult chaperone.
