A 42-year-old Victoria man Clayton Thomas Fletcher has been sentenced to 6.5 years in jail after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, importing or distributing child pornography and sexual assault.
On April 14, 2024, the Victoria Police Department received a second-hand report from a witness in Calgary about a Victoria man who was in possession of child pornography. Two days later, detectives arrested Fletcher, executed search warrants at two residences, searched his vehicle and seized multiple digital devices. Detectives were granted additional warrants to search these devices and, after lengthy investigation and examination, uncovered almost 2,500 child sexual abuse material (CSAM) images and videos. Included in this cache of CSAM was a video that Fletcher filmed and distributed of himself sexually assaulting an unresponsive 17-year-old girl.
"In addition to the CSAM images and videos, VicPD detectives discovered Telegram conversations between Mr. Fletcher and two individuals in the United States," the police department said in a news release. "One of the conversations was with a Telegram user who purported to be a teenage girl. Mr. Fletcher had been in communication with this user for over two years, during which time they discussed sexual fantasies, exchanged CSAM material with one another and discussed sexually abusing animals. The other individual in the U.S. was identified as an adult male, with whom Mr. Fletcher also exchanged CSAM. Both individuals were referred to American law enforcement partners for further investigation."
Over the next several months, over 40 VicPD investigators built a case against Fletcher, and on Oct. 10, 2024, charges were approved by Crown counsel.
“This was an impactful, complex and particularly challenging investigation, and our hearts go out to the victims of this man and their families,” Deputy Chief Jamie McRae said in the same news release. “It was very important for the survivors, the families and the wider community that we put significant resources into building a solid case to present to Crown and the court, and I am very proud of the teamwork that brought this case to fruition.”
Fletcher entered guilty pleas to possession of child pornography, importing or distributing child pornography and sexual assault on March 27, and he was sentenced to a total of 6.5 years in jail. Ancillary orders were also made, including a DNA order, a firearms prohibition for a term of 10 years, a SOIRA order (the national sex offender registry) for a term of 20 years, and a forfeiture order in relation to the items seized by police during the investigation.
“It’s difficult for those involved to be exposed to this type of content, especially at this level, and while we’ve ensured that our officers have the support they need to process this, we hope knowing that he is going to jail will help everyone who has been involved in these horrific events,” added McRae. “The Victoria Police Department will continue working to locate and arrest those who commit crimes against children.”
Part of that work will be through CRD's Internet Child Exploitation (CRD ICE) Unit, which VicPD, Saanich Police, Oak Bay Police and Central Saanich Police formed last year to investigate allegations of child exploitation and luring, as well as possession, distribution, and production of child pornography. Since April 2024, the CRD ICE Unit has engaged in approximately 150 investigations.
