A Toronto man, 31, is facing 96 charges related to the sexual assault and abuse of minors he targeted using social media platforms, Canadian police said on Wednesday.
Daniel Langdon who has been notably charged with 39 counts of sexual assault, is also suspected of making and possessing child pornography, Toronto police told a press conference.
Police have declined to say how many children were targeted or provide information about the victims to protect their identities.
There are ‘multiple victims between the age of seven to 17’, and the alleged crimes took place between April 2021 and February of this year, detective Vijay Shetty told reporters.
The victims, who lived in different parts of Ontario province, Canada’s most populous region, were believed to have been targeted using Internet apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
Langdon, who was described as very active on social media, ‘utilised several usernames and email addresses on various social media platforms and in some cases altered his image to appear younger,’ Shetty said.
During a search of Langdon’s home, police found child pornography and evidence indicating that Langdon had sexually assaulted a seven-year-old child at a Toronto park.
The suspect had already been charged with possessing child pornography as far back as 2016, and was barred from visiting public parks or having contact with anyone under the age of 16.
Toronto Police detective Vijay Shetty told a news conference that Langdon was previously charged with possessing and creating child pornography in 2016, but declined to provide more details of that incident.
Langdon appeared in court on February 8 and was remanded in custody, police said. He is scheduled to appear in an Ontario court on Thursday.
