Halifax mom pleads guilty to child pornography charges involving her own kids

A Halifax woman pleaded guilty to child pornography charges Monday in Halifax provincial court.

The woman, who can not be identified due to a publication ban, was paid for photos she sent to a Bridgewater, N.S., man that showed her and three of her own children naked.

Police seized cellphones from the woman and man to review text messaging between the two and found the exchange of the photos involving her children aged 2, 4 and 6, according to an agreed statement of facts.

The man sent the woman, who has six children, nine e-transfers totalling $1,195. The statement of facts showed the photos were distributed over a six-month period in 2018, with the highest payment of $350 on Nov. 28.

Police arrested the Bridgewater man at his home on Jan. 31, 2019, as part of an ongoing investigation into the distribution and solicitation of child pornography.

A forensic analysis of his phone showed pornographic images of women and children. Edited photos from the phone were sent to Nova Scotia's Department of Community Services in the event someone might recognize them.

Later that day, a case worker assigned to the woman and her children contacted police and confirmed the woman's identity. The woman was arrested at her Halifax home.

Text messages

Police then seized her phone and discovered she and the Bridgewater man had been exchanging the pornographic images, and bank records showed the exchange of funds for the pictures.

Text messages between the man and woman included conversations regarding the making of child pornography, the financial arrangements that were made between the two and the need to prevent the children from speaking to authorities in order to avoid detection.

The woman, who was released from custody in May 2019 on a $5,000 surety, will be back in court on April 12 for sentencing.