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The case of a Halifax teen accused of child sexual abuse and exploitation material offences has been adjourned until the new year.
An adjournment was requested in Nova Scotia youth court in Halifax on Thursday morning to allow the defence time to study the vast quantity of evidence compiled by police.
When Halifax Regional Police announced the charges against the 16-year-old back in October, they said he was a member of the online extremist group 764, which preys on vulnerable people. The group’s members coerce children into harming themselves and engaging in sexual activity on camera, police said.
Halifax police say they believe the teen communicated with hundreds of young people worldwide.
On Wednesday, the federal government announced that 764 and three other organizations are now considered terrorist groups in Canada.
Nova Scotia Crown prosecutor Carla Ball said Thursday that they must weigh what that designation means to the Halifax case.
“We do have to remember at this point, this is an allegation before the court and he’s presumed innocent,” Ball said.
“764 has been deemed a terrorist organization and the Crown is in the process of considering the impact of that in the present charges.”
The matter is scheduled to return to court in January, when the teen is expected to enter a plea.
A judge has also approved a change in the teen’s release conditions. He has been banned from using any electronic devices that can access the internet. He will now have limited access to a basic cellphone to allow him to speak with his lawyer.
Ball said cases like this are rare, but people should be prepared to see more of them.
“I think that we do all have to be on alert for this type of activity in the future, now that the digital networks have expanded and we’re going to see these things increasingly so in the coming years,” he said.
“Certainly, it’s not a typical case before the court, but it’s something that we can expect to see, I would think as time goes on.”
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