A 50-year-old pedophile flouted his strict supervision requirements by using a computer to view pornography for seven years. Repeat offender François Daragon was caught producing child pornography and faces a significant prison sentence.
Published at 1:27 am. Updated at 7:00 a.m.
A father is looking for his 10-year-old son. But where did he go? In a panic, the father is astonished to find that the boy is watching a porn film in a neighbor’s house with a little girl, a sexual predator who has no right to be with children. It was in 2006.
For this crime and the sexual acts against seven children, François Daragon was sentenced to eight years in prison. Because he was declared a long-term offender, he was subject to a long-term supervision order of 10 years. This should end in April 2023.
But two months before the order expired, the 75-year-old was caught red-handed. Charged last spring, he pleaded guilty in late November in Montreal court to possession and production of child pornography.
High risk of recurrence
It was his relationship with a delinquent in a halfway house that caused his downfall. His probation officer had asked him to avoid contact with this woman. However, he sent her “naughty” photos of himself in women’s clothing. It was obvious that the photos had been altered by computer, even though he was forbidden from using one.
François Daragon subsequently admitted using a computer to consume pornography for seven years. However, he states that he did not “find what he wanted” when it came to child pornography. So he produced them by modifying photos of clothed children on the Internet with software to make them “sexually arousing by adding the sexual organs.” He had 42 files of child pornography.
François Daragon’s profile raises concerns. In 2006, he received the highest risk rating for repeat sexual offenses. A sexological examination revealed that he had deviant sexual interests towards young children.
In 1972, François Daragon was arrested for indecent acts. In the 1990s he was convicted several times for exhibitionism in front of children, incitement to sexual contact and indecent assault.
“In their opinion, there is a much higher number of victims than officially recorded,” said a 2020 decision by the Parole Board of Canada.
The statement on the verdict is scheduled for next February.
Me Sylvie Bordelais defends the defendant, while Me Kahina Rougeau Daoud represents the prosecutor.