International

Sentencing Hearing Begins For Convicted B.C. Pedophile Known As 'Swirl Face'

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Apr, 2016 11:06 AM

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — A convicted pedophile who served four years in prison in Thailand for sexually assaulting young boys is scheduled for a sentencing hearing in New Westminster, B.C., court today.

Christopher Neil, 41, pleaded guilty in December to five charges including counts under Canada's child-sex tourism laws.

The charges include two counts of sexual interference in Cambodia in 2003, one charge of possessing child pornography in Maple Ridge in 2007 and two charges of accessing child pornography in Vancouver in 2013.

Neil gained notoriety after a global manhunt launched by international police service Interpol lead to his arrest based on an online photograph of someone abusing boys.

The suspect's face was disguised with a swirl but police unscrambled the image to reveal Neil, who was branded Swirl Face by international media.

Neil was allowed free under strict conditions when he returned to Vancouver in October 2012, but arrested on 10 new charges in March 2014 and has been held in custody ever since.

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