Extreme drunkenness no excuse for downloading child pornography: Judge

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A Southwestern Ontario man who claimed he was too drunk to remember downloading more than 100 pornographic videos featuring young children failed to convince a judge he had been rehabilitated enough to avoid prison.

An attorney for Liam R. Bock, 25, said the Brantford resident is now sober and has been heavily involved in serving the community through volunteer work for several years.

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“He was drinking daily and non-stop when these offenses occurred,” Alison MacDonald said. “For three or four days he drank a 26 ounce bottle of vodka a day and two cases of coolers in the same time frame. That is extreme alcohol consumption.”

In court, Bock pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and distributing or selling child pornography by sharing some images and videos.

Bock, who grew up under traumatic circumstances, has also been receiving intensive guidance for several years, his lawyer says. She added that Bock had successfully completed bail conditions at a local residential program.

“He fully admits that these were his devices (confiscated), but he doesn’t remember anything because of his alcohol consumption,” MacDonald said.

Judge Robert Gee was skeptical about Bock’s blackouts as he managed to download and have pornographic conversations on social media.

“He had an SD card with 197 images and 116 videos and every time they were downloaded or viewed he was drunk?” the judge asked.

MacDonald urged the judge to consider a long – and rare – suspended sentence for Bock’s crimes. He said that although these were “truly terrible, criminal, deviant, inappropriate and abhorrent” crimes, incarceration would mean losing the progress he has made in outreach. and life skills.

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But Assistant Crown Attorney Christine Lund asked for a three-year prison sentence, saying Bock had tried to “cover up” his offenses in a report prepared for the court.

“The spread of the images is annoying and it is hard to believe that we have no memory of it,” Lund said. “It calls into question the judgment of this perpetrator and raises concerns about his rehabilitation.”

That denial raised the bar for what the Crown was asking for, she added. “It would have been appropriate to receive a two-year prison sentence with three years’ probation, but due to the lack of judgment, three years is justified.”

Bock told the judge he has been trying to fix himself for years through programming, volunteer work and therapy.

“If I can find more therapy and help, I would like to use it,” he said.

Gee acknowledged that Bock had taken positive steps, but said his offenses were far too serious to merit a suspended sentence.

“You had a hard time at first – no one denies that – but the damage caused by this kind of abuse is very, very serious,” Gee said. “The people in those videos are harmed forever. They will never be the same people again.”

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Gee said some of the pornographic material was “particularly disturbing” because of the ages of the children and the way it was shared with others.

“I’m concerned about your explanation that you have little to no memory of it,” Gee said. “It’s hard to accept saying, ‘Every time I was too drunk to remember’.”

Gee said three years was the appropriate sentence.

Bock was ordered to provide a DNA sample and remained on the sex offender registry for twenty years. Once out of prison, he will be restricted from being around children for ten years.

“I know this wasn’t the outcome you were hoping for,” the judge said, “but I hope you continue to get all the help you need so we don’t have to do this again.”

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