CTV
October 8, 2009
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091008/Lahey_warrant_091008/20091008?hub=Canada
An Ottawa airport official flagged former Roman Catholic bishop Raymond Lahey for possible child pornography possession because he was a single male who had travelled in Southeast Asia, according to a just-released court document.
The document, information to obtain a search warrant, also states that Lahey acted suspiciously and avoided eye-contact when he was questioned by airport staff on September 15.
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| Raymond Lahey is seen at his lawyer's office in Ottawa, Ont. on Thursday October 1, 2009. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick |
After a trip to the United Kingdom, Lahey arrived at Ottawa's airport and handed his passport to inspector Venessa Fairley, who noticed trips to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Spain and Germany "dating back to 2005," the court document states.
The document goes on to report that Lahey was then asked if he had any electronic devices in his possession, to which he replied that he was carrying two cellphones.
When pressed about whether he also had a laptop, the former bishop hesitated before answering "yes," according to the document.
The warrant states that Lahey triggered further suspicion because he avoided eye-contact and appeared to shift the tone of his voice during questioning.
Later, another border agent searched Lahey's laptop and found explicit images of men and young boys as young as eight, the document says.
Police deemed that the "images were borderline for age determination" and officers seized other equipment, including four USB memory sticks, three portable memory drives and a pair of cellphones. The laptop and electronic media were turned over to Ottawa police for anaysis by a computer forensic expert.
Last week, Lahey turned himself into Ottawa police and was released on bail.
Lahey left his post as bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Antigonish in Nova Scotia last month, just before the charges were made public.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
He faces charges of importing and possessing child pornography and will next appear in court on November 4.
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