New Westminster child exploitation case leads to rescue of five children in the Philippines

A New Westminster, B.C., man has been charged with multiple child sexual exploitation offences following a lengthy international investigation that police say led to the identification and rescue of five children in the Philippines.

New Westminster police said they received information from the RCMP Integrated Child Exploitation Unit in June 2023 after it investigated an upload of child sexual abuse material from an IP address on a public platform. Investigators traced the activity to a New Westminster home, identified a suspect and executed a search warrant, police said. Multiple electronic devices were seized for forensic examination.

Police said further investigation indicated possible involvement in child sexual exploitation offences involving victims in the Philippines. Gerard Saunders, who was living in New Westminster at the time, was arrested and charged with possession of child sexual abuse material, making child sexual abuse and exploitation material, and agreeing or making an arrangement with a person to lure a child, under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Philippine authorities also arrested the children’s mother in connection with child sexual exploitation offences, police said. Saunders has been released on an undertaking with extensive conditions and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.