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U.S. National Guard member jailed for child porn

By: Mike McIntyre

Posted: 05/31/2010 6:30 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

A member of the U.S. National Guard has been sentenced to 10 months in jail for smuggling child pornography into Manitoba.

Jason Brooks, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to charges under the Customs Act. He was arrested last February while bringing a load of corn across the border near Winkler. Officials grew suspicious about his behaviour after asking a series of questions and eventually searched his computer and found six videos and four pictures depicting children as young as five engaged in sexual activity.

Brooks made a series of excuses to police, at one point claiming he’d bought the computer from a convicted pedophile who must have downloaded the material before the sale. He later claimed up to 50 different people had access to his laptop and must have set him up.

"He hopes people who know him will know he’s not a sexual predator," defence lawyer Randy Minuk told court Monday.

Brooks lives in North Dakota and has been working as a long-haul trucker at the time of his arrest. He was also a member of the National Guard but is being kicked out because of his crime, court was told.

Brooks has spent the past four months in custody, which was given single-time credit under new federal legislation. He must now serve an additional six months behind bars and will be deported immediately upon his release. Minuk said he will likely never be allowed back into Canada, which will impact his future employment.

Minuk said his client was a "well-liked" member of society with many supporters, including his mother who was in court Monday to watch the sentencing hearing. Brooks was seeking to be released from custody almost immediately, but provincial court Judge Sid Lerner said more jail was necessary to express strong condemnation for this type of crime, which is growing in Canada.

Lerner also questioned how remorseful Brooks is given the various explanations he’s provided to police.

www.mikeoncrime.com

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