Local man arrested in online child sexual exploitation and luring investigation
FERGUS - A 67-year-old Fergus man has been arrested in connection with a child sexual exploitation and luring investigation that lasted four days in September.
A Nov. 2 press release from the OPP announcing the outcome of the undercover operation states 10 investigators from multiple police agencies took part in what police coined "Project Limestone" from Sept. 12 to 15.
Police accessed online chatrooms and social media apps intended for children and used "undercover techniques" to identify, locate and arrest eight men.
Two of the accused men thought they were meeting with "mothers with young children," police say.
According to police, 55 "devices" were seized in the investigation, and some of the accused men had brought candy, toys and condoms when they were met by police.
Fergus resident Wilfred Thyssen has been arrested in connection with the investigation, and is charged with two counts of arranging to commit a sexual offence against a child, and failing to comply with prior release conditions.
It's not the first time Thyssen has faced charges related to the sexual abuse of children.
Thyssen was previously charged by the Toronto Police Service in March 2021 with seven offences, including:
• three related to child sexual abuse material (commonly referred to as child pornography);
• luring a child under 16 years of age;
• arranging to commit sexual interference; and
• two counts of attempting to sexually interfere with a child.
Court records show he is due to be sentenced in relation to those charges in Toronto court on Nov. 14.
According to the records, Thyssen was on bail related to the above charges at the time of his most recent arrest.
His court-ordered bail conditions prohibit him from being around children, accessing social media, and having any devices that could access the internet unless his surety was watching him.
Thyssen is currently being held on the new charges at Milton's Maplehurst Correctional Complex, from where he spoke briefly to a justice of the peace on Nov. 3.
A bail plan had not been assembled for Thyssen as of Friday, and his next court date to be spoken to about it is Nov. 7.
The newest charges against him have not been tested in court.
[related]
The remaining seven men are from northern Ontario, the Greater Toronto Area, and one is being investigated in Massachusetts.
Most of the Ontario men have been released on bail conditions while their cases move through the courts.
"Luring offenders often target a multitude of victims at the same time," police state in the Nov. 2 release.
"Predators go where children go; it is imperative that parents and caregivers are aware of what their children do online."
Do you have information related to child sexual abuse or exploitation? Contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or visit cybertip.ca.
Are you a parent or caregiver of a child? Visit the Canadian Centre for Child Protection to learn about keeping children safe.
