'Gross abuse of a position of trust:' B.C. pastor sentenced for making, sharing child pornography

Hands type on a computer keyboard in Los Angeles, on Feb. 27, 2013. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A B.C. pastor has been sentenced to three years in prison for taking and sharing pornographic photos of two children who were members of his extended family and his church, with a judge describing the crimes as "a gross, gross abuse of a position of trust."

The sentence was handed down in provincial court in Surrey in January, and the judge's decision was posted online Wednesday. Neither the man nor his church is named in the decision due to a publication ban in place to protect the identities of the victims.

THE OFFENCES

The charges date back to 2018 when C.J.R.J., as the decision refers to him, was 41 years old. The court heard that he took 20 photos of two children, a six-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, and uploaded them as an album to a Russian website. The children were guests in his home, which was on church property, at the time.

"Although the children are not nude, C.J.R.J. cropped several of the photographs so that the children's faces are partially cut off and the focus of the images is on their genital and/or anal regions," Judge Dawn Boblin wrote, noting that when the pictures were posted online they were tagged with "a commonly used abbreviation for nearly nude."

The upload to the site, according to the court documents, prompted the investigation. When police in B.C. searched C.J.R.J.'s home, they found the photos on his devices. They also found another 515 images and three videos "many of which depict children between the ages of five and 15 years engaged in overt sexual acts," Boblin wrote.

C.J.R.J. was charged with one count of making child pornography, one count of making child pornography available, and one count of possessing child pornography. He pleaded not guilty and the judge said he "adamantly denies" that he committed the crimes. However, he was convicted after a trial.

"The offences C.J.R.J. committed are very grave and his degree of responsibility is high," the judge said.

"The children he exploited were very young, just six and 10 years old, when C.J.R.J. made pornographic images of them and posted them on a public website, making access available to potentially millions of viewers. The photographs will likely never be removed and so the duration of the children's victimization in that respect is likely to be without end," she later added.

THE IMPACT

The decision quotes from a victim impact statement provided by the children's family on their behalf, which emphasizes the position of trust C.J.R.J held as a religious leader.

"We feel betrayed as Christians that a facility meant for safety and worship became a place where our children were put in direct danger from one of its staff members. One of the effects of C.J.R.J.'s crimes against us is that we are left to heal from the damage of a spiritual leader abusing his fellow members of the faith," the statement read.

"We feel concerned that the devastating effects of spiritual abuse will be something we will not be able to forget."

The judge noted that C.J.R.J. was not only the lead pastor, but a teacher at a private school, a facilitator of Bible programs for kids, a camp counsellor and someone who quoted from scripture when offering the victims' parents "unsolicited advice" on how to raise their children.

Not only was the family's trust violated by the crimes, the judge said, but the extended family has been fractured by the case.

"The loss of those relationships is deep and painful for the victim family and continues to present challenges for them with every family gathering, funeral, wedding event, and interaction," Boblin wrote.

In addition, the victim's family was "subjected to publication ban breaches, rumours, scrutiny, ridicule, isolation and repeated abuse" by people in the family and the wider church community, who maintained that the allegations against C.J.R.J. were false.

THE SENTENCE

In agreeing with the Crown's submission that C.J.R.J should be sentenced to three years in prison, Boblin cited C.J.R.J's "gross violations" of his position of trust as an aggravating factor. C.J.R.J's persistent denial of having committed the crimes was also considered.

"C.J.R.J.'s unwillingness to accept responsibility for his offending behaviour significantly limits his prospects for rehabilitation. When C.J.R.J.'s support system also maintains that he is innocent and C.J.R.J. continues to hear and endorse that message, that limits his prospects for rehabilitation further," Boblin wrote.

C.J.R.J. was sentenced to 36 months for making child pornography, 36 months for sharing it online, and 18 months for possessing child pornography. The terms are to be served concurrently.

He will also have to register as a sex offender and will be bound by conditions limiting his contact with people under 16.