A provincial court judge sentenced a local man to 90 days in jail for possessing more than 1,700 child pornography images.
Michael Todd Payne, 46, was sentenced Monday at the Ontario Court of Justice to three months in jail and one year of probation. Payne pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in June.
A second charge of distribution of child pornography was withdrawn.
A joint submission was put forward for sentencing from the Crown and Payne’s lawyer, which the judge accepted.
The court heard that through an investigation into suspicious file sharing activity, the Thunder Bay Police Service's cybercrime unit executed a search warrant at a Loch Lomond Road home on Nov. 2, 2012. The search resulted in police seizing a computer tower.
After a forensic examination of the computer, police found 1,775 still images and a video of child pornography.
The court heard that Payne was staying in the home, which was owned by a friend, at the time. Payne has no prior criminal background.
Payne’s lawyer David Young said his client was diagnosed with depression and is undergoing treatment.
During his one-year probation, Payne is not to communicate with any children under the age of 18 except for his immediate family and is prohibited from using any electronic devices with access to the Internet unless for employment purposes.
Payne is prohibited from attending any parks, playgrounds, schools, daycares or other places where children under 18 may frequent and he has to report to the provincial sex offender registry for the next 10 years.
