Raymond Lahey was caught with hundreds of child porn images
OTTAWA, Canada - A Roman Catholic bishop who admitted he was addicted to looking at child pornography is set to learn his prison sentence Wednesday in an Ottawa courtroom.Raymond Lahey, 71, a Newfoundlander who had been the head of the Nova Scotia diocese of Antigonish, was caught in 2009 at Ottawa's airport after authorities checked his personal computer and found a large cache of child pornography.
Lahey pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography for the purposes of importation to Canada.- The Crown's case involved 588 photos and 63 videos, with the Crown pointing out that some involved adolescent boys engaged in sex acts while wearing a crucifix and rosary beads.
- Some of the images shown to the judge depicted scenes of bondage, featuring young men who were bound and on all fours.
- The Crown is asking that Lahey be given a sentence between 18 and 22 months, as well as probation and a
host of conditions. - The defence is asking for a one-year sentence, or the minimum that can be handed down for the crime, and that Lahey be given a two-for-one credit for time served. Although federal law changed in 2010, the defence has argued for it because Lahey was charged in 2009.
At a sentencing hearing in December, Lahey apologized for his actions, describing himself as a man who had become addicted to internet-based porn "on an indiscriminate basis."Lahey, whose career included serving as a bishop in western Newfoundland before moving to Nova Scotia, said he wanted others to learn from his mistakes.
"To others, look at what they are doing — cease it and seek help," Lahey told the court. "It causes genuine harm to children."
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