Ex-U.S. soldier gets prison for smuggling child porn

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/09/2023 (790 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former U.S. soldier arrested crossing the border at Emerson with a laptop containing hundreds of images of child sexual abuse has been sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Adam Lee Andris, 39, was convicted after trial of one count of smuggling prohibited goods, specifically child sexual abuse material or child pornography.

Manitoba Court of King’s Bench Justice Anne Turner rejected a defence recommendation Andris be allowed to serve a two-year conditional sentence in the community, ruling the nature of the images, which depicted toddlers and young children engaged in explicit sex acts with adults and animals, was “significantly” aggravating.

“Courts have an obligation to impose sentences that give effect to the profound wrongfulness of the sexual abuse of children,” Turner said.

“Courts have an obligation to impose sentences that give effect to the profound wrongfulness of the sexual abuse of children.”

Andris, who completed two tours of duty in Iraq with the U.S. military, was crossing by vehicle June 18, 2021, when the Canada Border Services Agency conducted a search. Officers found what was described in court as sexual paraphernalia, drugs and knives, and a laptop computer found to contain nearly 450 child sex abuse videos and images.

At trial, a border services officer broke down on the witness stand as he tried to describe the images.

“I will not reproduce any of the descriptions of the images here,” Turner said Tuesday. “They are horrific descriptions of children being abused.”

Court heard Andris has severe post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues brought on by killing enemy combatants and witnessing friends die at war. It led to a severe addiction to pornography, which worsened to the point he sought out sexual images of children.

Andris was on his way to Canada to visit his girlfriend, defence lawyer Omri Plotnik previously told court.

Plotnik said Andris confessed and helped border agents access the material on his laptop. His client started psychiatric counselling sessions before his case went to trial.

Andris also expressed immediate regret, Plotnik said, and talked about killing himself as CBSA officers put handcuffs on him.

According to a counsellor’s report provided to court, Andris’s addiction to pornography sprang from his PTSD and became his “drug of choice.”

Turner said that did not explain his choice to view child sex abuse material over adult pornography.

The judge said she accepted Andris was genuinely remorseful and had insight into the harm his actions caused, but dismissed his claim he was coming to Canada to seek support from his girlfriend.

“I find that difficult to accept, given Mr. Andris made the conscious choice to bring the laptop containing child sexual abuse material to Canada.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca