A man who pleaded guilty to child porn offences that occurred in Whistler will spend the rest of his summer awaiting the outcome of his court case.
According to court records, Nicholas Kyle David Symons, born in 1994, pleaded guilty to two counts of importing and/or distributing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography when he appeared in North Vancouver Provincial Court on Jan. 26 of this year. Symons was ultimately found guilty of the single count of possessing child pornography. He now awaits sentencing, and his next court date is scheduled for Sept. 15.
The criminal charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in jail for individuals convicted of an indictable offence.
Sea to Sky RCMP media relations officer Cst. Katrina Boehmer confirmed Whistler’s detachment received information from B.C. RCMP’s Integrated Child Exploitation Team (ICE) in July of 2021 about an individual in Whistler who was caught “uploading child exploitation materials” between October 2020 and September 2021.
"The Whistler General Investigation Section took [charge] of the investigation and forwarded a Report to the BC Prosecution Service for charge assessment,” she explained in an email.
Whistler RCMP did not release details about the nature of the content in question, in an effort to prevent the re-victimization of any child involved.
“The RCMP takes reports of child exploitation very seriously, and individuals who prey on young children should be aware that as a result of closer working relationships between law enforcement agencies around the world, perpetrators will be apprehended and held accountable for their actions,” Boehmer added.
B.C. ICE is the provincial unit that works with the RCMP’s National Exploitation Crime Centre to coordinate law enforcement’s response to online child abuse crimes.
Up to $20K worth of tools stolen from Whistler construction site
In more recent RCMP news, police in Whistler responded to a local construction site on Tuesday morning, June 27, after receiving reports of an overnight break-and-enter resulting in thousands of dollars worth of missing materials.
In a release, Sea to Sky RCMP estimated thieves stole between $15,000 and $20,000 worth of tools and miscellaneous items from the job site.
Police ask any locals or visitors who may have “noticed anything suspicious” between 6 p.m. on Monday, June 26 and 6 a.m. the following morning to get in touch with Whistler’s RCMP detachment at (604) 932-3044.
The break-in and theft was one of 150 total files police in Whistler opened during the week spanning Tuesday, June 27 to Monday, July 3.
Police stay busy with long-weekend road checks
If you attended the Village of Pemberton’s Canada Day parade on Saturday, July 1, you likely noticed members of the Sea to Sky RCMP proudly marching alongside the floats.
That wasn’t exactly the case across the entire corridor. “While there was no Canada Day parade held in Whistler, the Sea to Sky Whistler RCMP Members were seen out in the Village in their red serge, showing their pride to be serving for Canada,” Boehmer noted in the release.
Even without a parade, there was still plenty to keep Whistler’s RCMP officers busy over the holiday weekend. According to the release, the detachment opened six separate impaired driving investigations over the course of the week. Among the motorists suspected of driving under the influence were both locals and visitors.
One investigation in particular stemmed from a “proactive check,” that according to the release “resulted in a roadside prohibition issued to a novice driver who was also ticketed for a number of infractions related to driving contrary to the ‘N’ restrictions,” Whistler RCMP explained.
New drivers with the green “N” sticker displayed on their vehicle are subject to stricter rules than fully-licensed motorists in B.C., including a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol or drugs in their systems while behind the wheel, and a one-passenger limit, aside from immediate family or a supervisor who is at least 25.
