THUNDER BAY – A Thunder Bay man has been sentenced to 12 months in custody after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
William Heidrick, 32, appeared before Justice Jennifer Hoshizaki in a Thunder Bay courtroom on Friday where he pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and two counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
Heidrick was first arrested in May 2023 following an investigation by the Thunder Bay Police Service launched in April 2022.
As a result of the investigation, a Vale Crescent home was searched and several electronic devices were seized.
Heidrick was initially charged with one count each of luring a person under the age of 16 through telecommunication, making sexually explicit material available to a person under the age of 16, making child pornography, personate with intent, and failing to comply with a probation order.
Police found 12 unique images of child pornography in Heidrick’s possession. The images were described as anime depicting child pornography and not real images of child abuse.
As part of a joint submission, Heidrick was sentenced to six months on the charge of possession of child pornography and six months to be served consecutively for the failing to comply with a probation order charges.
“The reality, even if anime, it’s still concerning to the court and should be to you,” Hoshizaki said. “However, it’s very clear to me that the Crown and your lawyer worked hard to get a reasonable resolution to this matter.”
Heidrick spent 89 real days in pre-sentence custody, which was enhanced to 134 days. The in-custody sentence will be followed by two years probation.
Heidrick is also required to register with the Sex Offender Information Registry Act for 10 years, attend assessment for counselling and treatment for sexually offending behaviours, is required to submit a DNA sample, and will have limited restrictions on internet use for five years.
