A 27-year-old man from St. John's, N.L., has been sentenced to 3 years in prison for charges stemming from an investigation by the Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
The investigation began in August 2019, as a result of information received from the RCMP's National Child Exploitation Crime Centre.
On December 9, 2019, Barry Austin Morningstar was charged with possession of child pornography and making child pornography and was remanded into custody. On April 7, 2020, he appeared in court via tele-remand and plead guilty to both charges.
On July 15, 2020, Barry Austin Morningstar appeared in Saint John Provincial Court and was sentenced to 3 years in prison for possession of child pornography and making child pornography.
Barry Austin Morningstar has been added to the National Sex Offender Registry for life, and will be required to submit a DNA sample. Following his release from prison, he will have to abide by conditions set out by the court for a period of 10 years, including not to be near children.
New Brunswick RCMP's Internet Child Exploitation Unit includes members of the Saint John and Kennebecasis Regional Police Forces. The RCMP's Digital Forensic Services, the Saint John Police Force and the RCMP National Child Exploitation Crime Centre were also involved in this investigation.