Canadian faces dozens of child sexual assault charges

A Toronto man is facing 96 charges related to the sexual assault and abuse of minors he targeted using social media platforms, Canadian police said on March 1, adding that they thought there were more victims.

Daniel Langdon, 31, who has been charged with 39 counts of sexual assault, is also suspected of making and possessing child pornography, Toronto police said at a news conference.

There are “multiple victims between the ages of 7 and 17”, and the alleged crimes took place between April 2021 and February this year, Detective Vijay Shetty told reporters.

The victims, who lived in different parts of the province of Ontario, the most populous region in Canada, were allegedly targeted using internet applications such as Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

Langdon, who has been described as very active on social media, “has used multiple usernames and email addresses on various social media platforms and in some cases altered his image to look younger,” said said Shetty.

During a search of Langdon’s home, police found child pornography and evidence that Langdon had sexually assaulted a seven-year-old child in a Toronto park.

The suspect had previously been charged with possession of child pornography as far back as 2016 and was banned from visiting public parks or having contact with anyone under the age of 16.