Police believe there may be more victims of a 49-year-old Leduc man facing 27 child exploitation charges.
The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) arrested Campbell Fergusson on June 26 after completing an investigation by its Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team.
The charges include six counts each of luring a child, making child pornography and possessing child pornography.
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Fergusson is also charged with two counts of making sexually explicit material available to a child, six counts of communicating for the purpose of sexual offences with someone under 18 and transmitting child pornography.
Police allege Fergusson used social media, including Snapchat, to target girls aged 15 and 16 in the Edmonton area. Investigators say he lured them into meeting in person to perform sexual acts.
A search warrant led to Fergusson’s arrest with the assistance of the RCMP. Officers seized several electronic devices, including a smartphone and a laptop.
“Our investigators and forensic technicians have successfully identified six victims linked to Mr. Fergusson,” said Det. Christine Sawatsky with ALERT ICE.
“This investigation doesn’t stop here. We have reason to believe there are more victims we have yet to identify as we discover images and videos on these devices.”
ICE says Fergusson may have used the usernames ‘burkeishere2525’, ‘devonhouston25’, ‘keenonhedstrom’, and ‘treyliles2424’. He also went by the name Burke.
“We hope that by releasing his usernames, more victims will be encouraged to come forward and speak with police,” said Sawatsky.
“We have supports available, through partners like the Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre for anyone who does come forward.”
Fergusson remains in custody. His next court date is July 3.
Call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or contact your local police service if you have any tips in this case.
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