The Leduc, Alta., man charged in June with child pornography and luring now faces an additional 86 charges as 23 more victims have come forward.
On June 26, Campbell Fergusson was arrested during a search warrant by the province’s joint task force, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT).
At the time, the 49-year-old faced 27 charges after six victims came forward.
After further investigation, ALERT’s internet child exploitation unit said on Tuesday there were 23 more victims. Most, the unit said, were young teen girls who lived in the Leduc and greater Edmonton area.
At a press conference Tuesday, Sgt. Alison Church said the investigation, dubbed Operation Extraction, is believed to be the largest of its kind in the province.
“This is no small feat, because we are talking about complainants that are aged from 12 to 19,” she said. “Their bravery, their resilience … is something that needs to be commended.”
Fergusson now faces the following charges:
- luring a child x23;
- communication for the purpose under 18 x20;
- make child pornography x18
- possess child pornography x9;
- making sexually explicit material available to a child x2;
- sexual assault x4;
- sexual interference x7;
- extortion;
- choking while committing a sexual assault; and
- disguise with intent.
Fergusson faces a total of 113 charges and officers said their investigation is not yet over.
Tyler Gauvin, the president of the Leduc and County Basketball Association (LCBA), released a statement at the beginning of July when Fergusson’s arrest was first made public.
It linked Fergusson as a former volunteer at the LCBA who was removed from all roles and responsibilities immediately.
Gauvin added they weren’t sure if any members or athletes were involved at that time.
Fergusson is in custody with his next court appearance scheduled for Friday.
Church said ALERT believes there are still more victims.
“There are probably girls out there who think, ‘This is my fault. I made a decision, and this is my fault,’” Church said. “Not knowing that the level of manipulation and coercion was so high … Give us an opportunity to help you.”
Anyone with information about Fergusson is asked to contact local police or Crime Stoppers.
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