Repeat child sex offender arrested in Calgary

Sep 22, 2022 | 12:48 PM

CALGARY, AB – The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) has put a Calgary man behind bars for alleged offences related to child sexual exploitation.

Bernard Hyde, 76, was apprehended on September 1, 2022, and has been charged with possessing and accessing child pornography. He also faces breach offences stemming from previous investigations by the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit.

At the time of his arrest, Hyde was subject to a release order and a long-term supervision order with conditions prohibiting him from possessing a computer capable of accessing the internet.

Thanks to a tip from the public, he was arrested after allegedly being seen using a computer with a wi-fi connection at a local business. Hyde was arrested and ICE officers seized his laptop computers and other data storage devices from his apartment in Calgary.

Hyde has been previously charged for similar offences in 2013 and 2021.

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ALERT ICE Staff Sgt. Dominic Mayhew says, during the 2021 investigation, officers found over one million photos and videos of child sexual abuse, some of which depicted children as young as infants.

“This is one of the most egregious offenders the ICE unit has ever investigated. With over one million child sexual exploitation materials identified, there doesn’t appear to be any propensity for stopping and past arrests do not appear to have provided any reasonable deterrence,” says Mayhew.

Hyde remains in custody.

Incidents of child sexual exploitation can be reported to your local police, anonymously via Crime Stoppers, or online at Cybertip.ca

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now

by David Opinko