An Ontario man was handcuffed Thursday after he was invited by an American woman to visit her in the United States this weekend to sexually abuse her children.
Durham Regional Police said Thursday that they arrested Craig Thompson, a 42-year-old man from Bowmanville, east of Toronto, after receiving information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Wednesday.
According to the police, a conversation between the man and an American woman living in Pennsylvania via the MeetMe application was intercepted by the authorities.
“The suspect and the woman talked about meeting on the weekend and performing sexual acts on the woman's children, ages 2 and 6. “Sexually explicit photos of the woman’s daughter were also sent to the suspect,” a police statement said.
Given the nature of the exchange, police rushed to the suspect's home to arrest him before he had time to go to his potential future victims.
Craig Thompson is charged with agreeing to sexually abuse a minor under the age of 16, producing child pornography, viewing child pornography and possessing child pornography. He remains incarcerated while awaiting his appearance.
Police said they are in contact with partners in the U.S. who will investigate the mother, who was in contact with Thompson.