Sexting teen guilty of distributing child porn

A provincial court judge in Victoria, B.C., has found a 17-year-old Saanich girl guilty of distributing child porn for "sexting" pictures of her boyfriend's ex.

The teen was convicted ofpossessing and distributing child pornography and uttering threats. It is believed to be the first time in Canada a teenager has been convicted of pornography offences related to so-called "sexting."

The case had all the hallmarks of a modern-day teenage drama: a jealous new girlfriend, intimate photos of her boyfriend's former girlfriend and text messaging.

During the trial, the Crown argued the accused, who cannot be identified because she was a 16-year-old minor at the time of the offence, sent nude pictures of her boyfriend's ex to a friend and posted one to the victim's Facebook page in an attempt to humiliate the other girl and prevent the old romance from being rekindled.

The one-day trial on Thursday focused on three images and a handful of text messagesthat were shared betweenthe accused, her friend, the boyfriend and the victim.

The Crown also argued that the accused made threats in text messages to the ex-girlfriend in November of 2012, threatening to "stomp" herif she moved to her school.

Defence to launch constitutional challenge

After the verdict was announced, the accused's lawyer, Christopher Mackie, said the charge does not fit the crime.

"These child pornography laws were intended to protect children, not to persecute them, and again it seems the criminal justice system, it's a heavy hammer to be using," he said.

The federal government has introduced a new law that is intended to address the issue of sexting, which Mackie believes would be more appropriate in cases like this.

Mackiesaid he already filed a constitutional challengelast September, and that he plans to file anabuse-of-process application.

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Crown prosecutor Chandra Fisher admittedthecase wasunusual, and is possibly precedent-setting.

"It may well be difficult to find precedents. I've had a quick look already and nothing I've found quite fits," said Fisher.

Mackiealso saidthe family of the convicted teen feels she was singled out, when others were involved.

"There seems to be a number of people involved, but there has only been one person charged with anoffence,"Mackiesaid.