Scout volunteer in Surrey charged with distributing child pornography

A Lower Mainland man who spent time volunteering with the Scouts has been charged with accessing child pornography.

A Surrey RCMP media release says Edward Johannas Vandeyck was charged with accessing, possessing and distributing child pornography on Feb. 28. The charges stem from a search of his South Surrey home in December 2019.

Surrey RCMP says they have released the information due to the 57-year-olds connection with Scouts Canada. The RCMP doesn't list what connection Vandeyck had with the Scouts, but Vandeyck's Linkedin page said he served as a scout leader for 25 years.

In 2018 former Kamloops Scouts commissioner Barrie Lockton was sentenced to 90 days in prison after being convicted of one charge of possessing child pornography. In December 2019, Lockton told iNFOnews.ca there was no correlation between his conviction and the Scouts. It appears Lockton left the organization in around 2013.

Surrey RCMP say in the release that the information is being released in the interest of public safety and to encourage anyone who may have information which could assist this investigation to contact RCMP investigators on 604-599-0502.

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