Manitoba cruise-ship employee faces child-porn charges

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This article was published 04/06/2013 (3581 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba musician has been pulled off an international cruise ship and hit with serious criminal charges after a search of his cabin allegedly revealed child pornography.

Sean Richard Bell, 36, was arrested Monday when his employer – the Holland America ‘Veendam’ – made a scheduled stop in Halifax. The resident of Morden is now being held in custody in Nova Scotia on four charges including possessing, smuggling and importing child pornography.

None of the allegations has been proven and Bell is presumed innocent.

The cruise ship had departed out of Boston on Saturday and was headed for stops this week in several Canadian and American ports along the eastern seaboard. Bell is a performer in “Neptunes Trio” on board the ship, and has been working cruise lines since 2006, according to an online biography.

“He loves playing music and traveling so he’s living out his dream job. If you dream it, you can do it!!” his profile reads. Bell is a vocalist and pianist who specializes in jazz, ballroom, rock and pop genres.

Officials with Canada Border Services made the discovery while doing a routine search of the ship on Monday morning in port. The images were allegedly contained on an external hard drive.

Under new federal legislation, Bell faces a mandatory jail sentence if convicted of the alleged crimes.

The ship, which holds 1,350 passengers and 580 crew members, left the Halifax port later in the day without Bell. 

www.mikeoncrime.com