Former Edmonton man charged in international child porn scheme

A man charged in connection with an international child pornography scheme was suspected of abusing his daughter years before his arrest when the family lived in Edmonton, court documents show.

The agreed statements of facts before the courts detail how a father sexually abused all five of his children, who were under the age of 10. The documents say the man took photos of children and posted them online to trade for other child pornography.

Police arrested the man in Winnipeg in January after Australianinvestigators discovered his account online.He cannot be identified to protect his childrens identities.

The family lived in Edmonton from 2005 to 2009. Court documents say a government agency intervened during that time, placing the children in foster care.

The father was issued a recognizance order for one year in 2008, which included protective conditions for the children. The mother was told she could not regain custody unless the father moved out of the province. When he did, the children were returned.

The documents say at some point the government agency in Edmonton closed the familys file.

When the mother moved back to Winnipeg, she reconciled with the father in 2011. Court documents show the man then abused the children during unsupervised visits until he was arrested in January.

The Alberta government said itcould not comment on the case because of confidentiality provisions in the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act.