By Gudrun Schultz
TORONTO, Ontario, February 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A prominent pastor in a small Toronto denomination has been charged with possession of child pornography, after police seized videos and photos of children as young as five from his residence, the Toronto Sun reported Feb.3.
Rev. Frederick Patrick Dunleavy, 65, was arrested Wednesday, Jan.31, following a complaint to police from a witness who alleged to have seen pornographic material in his possession. Multiple images, including video footage, were seized during a search warrant of his residence on Thursday, according to a Toronto police press release. The images were of both boys and girls, between the ages of five and 17.
An activist for homosexual rights, Dunleavy boasted in 2004 of having performed hundreds of same-sex weddings, many of them for U.S. citizens planning to seek legal recognition at home, according to a report by the Oregonian in January 2005.
Dunleavy served as Canadian Archbishop of the Ontario Old Catholic Church/Christ Catholic Church, a small offshoot denomination which is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. He officiated at St. Andrews Parish in Toronto, saying mass in the chapel of St. Simon’s Anglican Church.
Police said local children may have been filmed in the material, since many of the images contained children never seen before by police.
“The sex crimes unit recognizes some of the images,” Det.-Const. Amy Bjerknes told the Toronto Sun. Investigators are expecting more information to surface as victims and witnesses come forward.
“Sometimes these investigations have a tendency to grow and that’s why we’re seeking assistance in locating victims,” she said. The police have requested anyone with further information, victims or witnesses, to come forward.
Dunleavy was released with a scheduled court appearance at College Park on Tuesday, March 20, 2007.
See Toronto Police release:
https://www.torontopolice.on.ca/newsreleases/pdfs/11395.pdf
See related LifeSiteNews coverage:
REPORT SHOWS LINK BETWEEN HOMOSEXUALITY AND CHILD ABUSE
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/may/02053107.html