A Surrey man is facing 12 charges following a child exploitation investigation that spanned multiple years.
Surrey RCMP is alerting the public that charges were laid against Tanner Adam Duffy, 30, of Surrey on April 17.
Duffy was arrested and charged with four counts of luring a child under 16, three counts of possessing child pornography, one count each of sexual interference, sexual assault, assault, forcible confinement and making sexual explicit material available to a child under 16.
The investigation started back in November 2021.
Surrey RCMP Internet Child Exploitation Unit started investigating after being notified by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children about someone sharing explicit content.
There were two Facebook accounts sharing explicit content and one person was believed to be a youth, according to a police press release.
A teen girl from Surrey and a teen girl from Vancouver Island’s West Shore are the victims. Police say they are “young.”
The investigation involved communications through many online platforms, including Facebook and Snapchat.
The alleged suspect commonly used the screen name 'Tanner boy.'
Duffy was then released on April 18 on conditions which include:
- reporting to a bail supervisor;
- not go to any public park, public swimming area, community centre or theatre where persons under the age of 16 years are present or can reasonably be expected to be present;
- not have any contact or communication, directly or indirectly, or be alone in the presence of, any person under the age of 16 years; and
- not to access any computer network including the internet.
Cpl. Vanessa Munn says Surrey RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation is a team of specially trained investigators whose primary goal is to protect children and youth from harm, and prevent further victimization.
"Investigators work closely with partners such as the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, and also participates in programs like Project Arachnid, which issues takedown notices to electronic service providers to remove child sexual exploitation images from the internet," says Munn.
Police are encouraging parents to have open and ongoing communication with their children about how to stay safe while online, as well as monitor activity.
For resources on how to stay safe online, you can visit this cyber tip website.
