U.S. man accused of luring child loses deportation fight in B.C.

VANCOUVER – A California man who escaped to British Columbia as he was charged with child luring and child pornography has lost a fight against his extradition.

Edward Hilts asked for a judicial review by the B.C. Court of Appeal, arguing he was denied procedural fairness by the Canadian government because it didn’t advise him of all the American charges against him.

Information submitted during an extradition hearing last year alleged that for several months in 2009 Hilts exchanged hundreds of emails with a Pittsburgh police officer who portrayed herself as a 14-year-girl.

Pennsylvania police arrested the man when he flew across the United States to allegedly meet with the person he believed was a young teen.

U.S. police say they seized a laptop computer full of images of child porn when he was arrested.

The three appeal court judges unanimously dismissed the judicial review, ruling that the Canadian government not obligated to describe the charges in the U.S. indictment.