A Belleville man has been sent to jail after pleading guilty to accessing child pornography.
Sixty-year-old James Fancy appeared in Belleville court on Wednesday and was sentenced to one year in jail.
When handing out the sentence, Justice Geoffrey Griffin referred to the offence as a “vile crime.”
“Possession of child pornography is a vile crime. The idea that it is a victimless crime is absolutely bizarre. I say that because obviously children are used in a way that is vile and disgusting, degrading, dehumanizing for the child. Children are precious. They deserve our love and care. They are the future of our country. That they could be used sexually must be denounced and must be deterred.”
Justice Griffin noted that Fancy was charged with having various devices in connection with the crime.
The judge said, “He was an officer of the Canadian Armed Forces, a family man, characterized as an upstanding citizen. He has changed all of that in so many ways… There must be a public sharing of that sentence so other like-minded people in the basement or office, they must learn, and know that if you are found out there will be incarceration. The government of Canada makes clear it’s a crime for (that results in) incarceration.”
Griffin noted that Fancy has kidney disease and prostate cancer and would have “immediate temporary absence for health reasons.”
He added, “No one wants to send a man to his death at an institution, that is what no one wants to occur… He is at the end of his life.”
Griffin said Fancy’s plea “is a clear signal to the court, to the community, to anyone who is listening. You realize your behaviour was wrong … a man who is honourable is prepared to acknowledge it. I wish you the best, to get through this stage and have the best life possible.”
