OTTAWA — The one-time treasurer of an Ottawa nudist club who encouraged other parents to engage in sexual acts with their children has been sentenced to five years in prison for possessing thousands of pictures, videos and stories of child pornography.
Victor Lynch-Staunton — or "Uncle Victor" as he referred to himself in one of his computer chats — claimed his online activity was the "natural expression of his sexuality."
Lynch-Staunton, 56, also explained to a probation officer that he didn't know his vast collection of child pornography, which included horrifying images of babies being raped, was illegal.
"It wasn't pornography; it was erotic nudity," Lynch-Staunton explained to a probation officer.
Lynch-Staunton added that eight years worth of sexual chats, in which he expressed an interest in having sex with daughters of nudist friends and counselled incest, bestiality and all kinds of other sexual acts with children, were for educational purposes. Those chats included asking girls as young as 12 for their pictures.
Lynch-Staunton said he wanted to "study" the reaction of early pubescent females to images and scenarios on the Internet. He didn't display any remorse or regret, according to a pre-sentence report.
"I'm a nudist. I download pictures," said Lynch-Staunton, who views himself as a victim after he was beaten up while in jail.
He later admitted he saw nothing wrong with sexual activities between older teenage girls and their male relatives.
He also avoided testing that could have helped determine whether he is a pedophile, claiming it was against his Jehovah's Witness religion to view the child pornography necessary for the test.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Lynn Ratushny wasn't swayed by Lynch-Staunton's portrayal of himself as a "kindly nudist" and "fatherly, caring and gentle figure."
"Possession of child pornography is not simply an example of a viewing of sexual 'naughtiness' or experimentation by others," said Ratushny. "It is, always, a portrayal or terrible abuse of real children with real and lifelong serious consequences."
Ratushny said she didn't believe Lynch-Staunton's claims that he didn't know possessing child pornography was a crime.
He knew about the legal age of consent and a new law that raised that age of consent to 16, she said.
"The excuse put forward by the accused that he was 'studying' sexuality is clearly just that, an excuse," she said.
The child pornography, which he also was convicted of distributing to an undercover detective, was neatly organized into folders on his computer and routinely backed up. Some of the pornography dated back to 1998.
Police seized 2,097 child pornography pictures, 1,763 stories and 574 movies.
Lynch-Staunton was arrested in February 2009. Ratushny gave him three years' credit for his time already spent in custody, leaving him two years of his sentence left to serve.
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