A Laval resident who had 280,000 images of child pornography, photos of children aged 5 to 12, could spend seven and a half years behind bars. The 38-year-old reoffended a few months after his release.
“There are some very, very concerning things in this case. […] In terms of number of images, of files, it is major, “said Judge Yanick Laramée during a hearing on Monday, judging the file “very disturbing”.
Mathieu Meilleur pleaded guilty to possession, production and distribution of child pornography in April 2022. The defense and the Crown agreed to seek a sentence of seven and a half years in prison.
At the Laval courthouse on Monday, the judge said she wanted to follow the suggestion of both parties, but said she needed more time to read the documents filed by the Crown. The sentencing decision will be made on April 17.
Since 2014, Mathieu Meilleur had been downloading and consuming child pornography “almost every day”. “The search for this type of content has become ubiquitous in his life,” said Crown Attorney Claudia Ossio.
The man was arrested in 2019 after asking for child pornography images from what he believed to be the mother of an 8-year-old child. It was more of a virtual police undercover operation.
“We are talking about an immeasurable work of computer analyzes […]. It’s not over yet,” prosecutor Ossio said.
Despite the sheer number of files found, the Crown noted a “lack of consideration and compassion for the children” on the part of the accused. According to him, “these are only images,” said Mr. Ossio in court.
“The defendants who commit this kind of offense think that there are no victims, because we are virtually, but the great misfortune is that there are children on the other end of the line who are sexually abused and undergoing incredible torture,” Judge Yanick Laramée said.
After his arrest in 2019, Mathieu Meilleur reoffended five months later, while on release. He was then under the supervision of his parents. “He managed to find out his brother’s [internet] password, go buy a tablet computer and access child pornography,” Ossio said.
At this time, Mr. Best remains at above average risk of reoffending. “There is a risk of recidivism which concerns me a great deal,” said the judge, adding that “the day he leaves the penitentiary, it must not happen again.”
At the end of the hearing, Mathieu Meilleur said he was “looking forward to starting [his] penitentiary therapy and moving on”.
For his part, defense attorney Pierre Joyal called the seven-and-a-half-year sentence “significant” and “reasonable”, adding that his client shows “a sincere desire to want to correct his behavior”. “I have to tell you that Mr. Best is not a freak, he’s all in all endearing,” he said.
