Sex offender in custody
Digital photos that were altered to mask his face were posted to the Internet by a convicted pedophile
Christopher Neil
Photograph by: submitted , for the TIMES
Former teacher, Maple Ridge resident, and convicted childsex tourist Christopher Neil was in Richmond Provincial Court Monday. But, his visit was cut short when the judge postponed his case until Wednesday.
Neil, 37, landed at Vancouver International Airport on Friday after spending four years behind bars in Thailand for sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy and the boy's nine-yearold brother, and distributing child pornography, and was taken into custody.
Digitally altered photos of himself sexually assaulting children were posted on the Internet prompting a global manhunt for Neil in 2007.
His "swirly-faced" photos were decoded by German computer experts so his face could be recognizable.
The RCMP's Integrated Child Exploitation Unit obtained a warrant for his arrest under a seldom-used section of the Canadian Criminal Code.
Under Section 810.1 (1), police can take a person into custody if that person's actions cause fear of sexual offences to a person under 16.
