An Abbotsford vice principal was sentenced to 20 months in prison Thursday, for two child-pornography offences.
Mike Haire’s lawyer had suggested a sentence of 12 to 15 months, and the Crown had recommended up to three years.
Haire, 41, was an administrator at W.A. Fraser Middle School when he was charged in September 2018.
He will serve 10 months for possession of child pornography and 20 months for making child pornography available, with the sentences served concurrently. Following his release he will be monitored by a probation officer for three years, for a total of four years and eight months of supervision.
He will be subject to several conditions under that probation, including notifying his probation officer within two days if his job or relationship status change.
Justice Heather MacNaughton also applied several ancillary orders, including providing DNA, being a registered sex offender for life, and being under protective orders for five years upon release. That order will require several oversights, including allowing police to search any devices of his at any time.
All of the devices used to possess or transmit child pornography will be destroyed, and the judge has sealed the evidence under strict orders.
Before reading her decision, the judge informed the court that she opted to not review the 1,435 images and 311 videos found on Haire’s devices. Instead, as allowed under Canadian law, she opted to make her judgement based on the written descriptions of those files.
When children are exploited in sexual offences, they are victimized every time they are viewed, she stated later in her decision.
The judge referred to several cases of child pornography possession in the sentencing that varied in severity of images and mitigating factors like remorse and willingness to undergo counselling and assessment.
There were many mitigating and aggravating factors involved in the sentencing decision. Haire has been in therapy and willingly complying with strict bail conditions for the past 45 months. He has completed 28 hours of therapy, which has included him discovering his own sexuality as a gay man. He is in a stable relationship, gainfully employed and is optimistic about his future.
He has provided proof from members of his family of their support, despite their strict Mormon beliefs.
However, he also knew better, the judge stated. As a well-educated teacher with a masters degree, he is well aware of his responsibilities as an educator, including being required to report suspicions of abuse against children to authorities.
“He knew what he was doing was wrong,” she said.
The investigation into Haire began after a six-second video file containing child sexual abuse was uploaded from a cellphone to Instagram. The customer connected to the IP address was confirmed to be Haire.
Police executed a search warrant at Haire’s residence that resulted in the seizure of 26 electronic devices. Hundreds of images and videos constituting child sexual abuse were found on six of the devices or hardware seized, the court was previously told.
-with files from Vikki Hopes, Abbotsford News
READ MORE: Crown says former Abbotsford vice-principal should get up to 3 years for child porn
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