A St. John’s man has been sentenced to just over three years in prison for online sex offences involving children.
The decision was handed down Friday by Supreme Court Justice Valerie Marshall.
Fifty-three-year-old Deric Cameron was convicted one month ago of making and distributing child pornography, and luring a child.
Cameron was a senior scientist with OilCo, formerly Nalcor, when he committed the acts from his home three years ago.
He used the Twitter account groovyguy100, sending and receiving extremely sexually graphic messages and photos of children having sex with adults.
He was also communicating with an unidentified 12-year-old girl in the U.K., encouraging masturbation while sending her his own sexually graphic photos.
Deric Cameron is taken into custody in Supreme Court on April 22nd. (VOCM News/file)
Cameron pleaded guilty and had no previous record, blaming his actions on mental health issues in the wake of the pandemic.
He appeared by video for his sentencing from the jail in Bishop’s Falls, where he’s been since he was taken into custody after being convicted on April 22nd.
His lawyer had proposed 26 months in prison, noting the crimes happened over just two days, “a small chapter of his life,” while the Crown sought three-and-a-half years.
In the end, Justice Marshall sentenced Cameron to 39 months — or three years and three months — minus the 48 days’ credit for time already served.
Upon release, he’ll also be subject to numerous restrictions and conditions that accompany such online sex crimes.
