RNC charge youth with sex offences
The RNC has charged a St. John’s youth with sexual offences for sharing digitally altered photos online. On Jan. 11, police received several reports from youth who had been exploited through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Through the course of the investigation by the RNC Child Abuse and Sexual Assault (CASA) Unit officers spoke with teenage girls who reported that images of them had been digitally altered to create explicit images which were subsequently posted to social media platforms. The investigation, which included the execution of search warrants, allowed officers to trace the altered images to a 17-year-old male from Goulds.
On July 29, the 17-year-old male whose identity is protected by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was charged with:
- 19 counts of making child sexual abuse and exploitation material
- 19 counts of possession of child sexual abuse and exploitation material
- 19 counts of distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation material
- One count of accessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material
The RNC is reminding the public that altering photos using AI to create sexual content without consent and sharing those images are crimes. Parents and caregivers are asked to have conversations with the youth in their lives about responsible technology use, consent and the consequences of online behaviour.
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