Online sexual exploitation of Alberta teen leads to arrest of Netherlands man

The Dutch national police force has arrested a man accused of coercing a teen boy in Lethbridge into sending him sexually explicit photos online.

Officials say the suspect first contacted the 14-year-old victim on a social media site. The boy thought he was communicating with a girl his own age.

"However, the suspect allegedly coerced the victim into sending sexually explicit photos, which progressed into threats and extortion for more photos," said the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) in a release Monday.

ALERT's Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit got involved after the victim came forward to police in Lethbridge in April of 2017.

Using data from the teen's cellphone, forensic investigators were able to track down a suspect in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

On July 4, national police in the Netherlands arrested a 28-year-old man and charged him with threatening a minor to commit lewd acts, and possession, production, and dissemination of child pornography.

"This investigation shows that there are no boundaries when it comes to tracking down suspects who victimize children," said Det. Aat Both of the Dutch child exploitation team.

Under Dutch law, the suspect cannot be named.

Since the man's arrest, Dutch police have identified four other victims.

Anyone with information about this investigation or any child exploitation offence is encouraged to contact local police orcybertip.ca.

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