A Maple Ridge man charged last month with possessing child pornography first appeared on the radar for Ridge Meadows Mounties four years ago.
Douglas James McNally may have slipped through cracks in 2007, but resurfaced again this year after he allegedly uploaded 108 images to a Flickr account that included sexually explicit photographs of pre-pubescent girls.
In a search warrant application, police reveal that 67-year-old was flagged in 2007 by Canada’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre, which passed the information to the RCMP’s Integrated Child Exploitation unit.
The ICE investigation lead police to an address in Maple Ridge where McNally lived and those details were forwarded to Ridge Meadows Mounties.
But RCMP was unable to act on the information “due to delays” and closed the file.
A CD containing images of child abuse related to the file was also destroyed.
In 2011, however, police received another cyber tip and acted on it quickly.
In the search warrant application police wrote that “these types of suspects are a risk to children within their community and the present investigation is the perfect opportunity to prevent or stop any harm that could come to them.”
Police were granted a search warrant in June for McNally’s house, where a computer, laptop, cell phone and cameras were seized.
In August, Crown approved one count each of importing or distributing child porn and possessing child pornography against him.
The accusations have yet to be proven in court.
McNally has since been released on bail, but is bound by conditions that include no contact with persons under 16 years. He must also stay away from parks, day cares, swimming pools or anywhere children may be present.
He is not allowed to access the Internet except for work, banking and to communicate with family.
McNally’s next appearance in court is scheduled for Sept. 22.
