A Prince Edward Island man has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison on charges including producing and transmitting child pornography.

Loud sobs were heard in the Summerside provincial courtroom Friday as Jonathan Anthony Jeffery, 35, received the sentence of five years and nine months.

He had pleaded guilty to all charges against him, including voyeurism, interception of private communications and unsafe storage of a firearm.

East Prince RCMP launched an investigation after receiving a complaint about voyeurism in 2023. Jeffery was arrested and charged in February, but was not in custody prior to his sentencing.

The court heard on Friday that the crimes involved 12 victims under the age of 18 and a 13th who was an adult.

There is a ban that prevents the publication of any information that could identify them.

Crown attorney John Diamond said Jeffery used sophisticated camera equipment he could control remotely to film his victims. Diamond said the crimes occurred at three different homes between 2021 and 2023, and police found thousands of videos on his phone and a cloud-based storage system he used.

Jeffery had previously claimed he installed the cameras because he thought his partner at the time was cheating on him and wanted proof.

The provincial court was told the accused installed high-tech camera equipment in three homes at different times to surreptitiously record his victims. (Blind)

Acts described as ‘disturbing’ and ‘reprehensible’

The defense requested a sentence of less than five years, saying Jeffery was struggling with addiction and mental health issues due to the end of their relationship.

The Crown asked for a sentence of between eight and 10 years in prison for the crimes, which Diamond called “disturbing.”

But provincial court Judge Krista MacKay said the sentence would be too harsh, given that Jeffery had no criminal record, pleaded guilty and wrote a letter of remorse.

MacKay called Jeffery’s actions “reprehensible,” adding, “It’s not too hard to imagine how this would affect a person’s mental health for a long time… and every time they enter a bathroom in the future.”

Canada’s Criminal Code sets the maximum penalty for producing or transmitting child pornography at 14 years in prison. The minimum is one year.

In addition to serving prison time, Jeffery was ordered to provide a sample to the National DNA Data Bank. Additionally, he cannot be around his victims after leaving and cannot possess or handle weapons for 10 years.