Trial starts for lawyer accused of possessing child porn
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Lawyers for an alleged kiddie porn perv will argue that police erred in removing evidence from the man’s home.
Jamuar Sharat Vijaya was accused of having child sexual abuse material on his computers back in 2013, but the investigation was complicated by the fact that Vijaya works as a criminal lawyer.
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Toronto Police were stymied by the possibility his computers also contained material subject to attorney-client privilege. The material had to be independently reviewed.
After four years, Vijaya, 56, was arrested in the fall of 2017. He was charged with possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography.
Six years after the first allegations, his trial began Monday before Justice Daniel Moore.
Sgt. Michele Bond testified material found on the accused’s computers included sexually suggestive photos of adolescent girls.
Other files allegedly contained material relating to children as young as eight years old. Bond described photos of a child naked from the waist up, saying the girl appeared to be about 15 years old; she saw several files with obscene titles that included the word “teen” in them.
Bond noted the absence of pubic hair, a potential marker of age, on all the girls’ photos.
At the time of Vijaya’s arrest, the Crown alleged there were 52 files involved that constituted child pornography.
At issue is whether or not police had the authority to remove four computers from Vijaya’s home. Bond told court it was requested of police that the computers not be left in the house.
Others in the house had access to the computers.
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Vijaya studied law at the University of Windsor and continues to practise despite the allegations against him.
A Law Society of Ontario tribunal rejected a motion to suspend his licence; Vijaya’s licence was put under the restrictions that he not be in the presence of an unaccompanied minor and that he not put personal data on electronic devices used for work.
The trial resumes Tuesday.
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