He was 25 years old. You, barely 10 years old. For months, a repeat cyber robber abused a lovestruck teenage girl with “emotional blackmail” and sexually explicit photos. He wanted to keep their “relationship” a secret. Tommy-Lee Goneau is now in danger of being declared a long-term offender.
Posted at 1:04 am. Updated at 7:00 a.m.
The 27-year-old native of Montreal pleaded guilty to multiple charges in a Montreal court in late June: computer enticement, inciting sexual contact with a minor under the age of 16, production and access to child pornography.
“A relapse”. This is how Tommy-Lee Goneau explained to investigators what he did after his arrest in the summer of 2022. When he attacked this teenager, the cyber robber was under a three-year suspended sentence that prohibited him from having contact with minors. In July 2019, he was sentenced to one year in prison for triple fraud at the Saint-Jérôme courthouse.
In April 2022, Tommy-Lee Goneau met the then 10-year-old victim at the game Fortnite, which was extremely popular with young people. They start chatting on the social network Snapchat. The victim initially states that the 25-year-old is 16, soon 17. Later she will tell him that she is 15 years old. It is therefore not proven that the defendant knew the true age of his victim.
Though their exchange was only virtual, the two considered each other to be in a “relationship.” “The two fell in love,” summed up Crown Prosecutor Me Hugo Rousse. But Tommy-Lee Goneau didn’t want their “relationship” to be known.
For months, the cyber robber sends numerous photos of his penis to the victim. The young girl sends him dozens of explicit photos of her body and also offers herself for several “live” sessions on camera in front of Tommy-Lee Goneau, who masturbates.
They exchange videos, photos, audios and messages on many online platforms including Snapchat, Discord and TikTok. In addition, with a quick search, we were able to discover that Tommy-Lee Goneau has many accounts on social networks, including at least nine on Instagram alone.
controlling?
If the cyber robber produced child pornography, it was during a “sexting” session with the victim, i.e. during written conversations.
“Through words he will position children. He will ask [à la victime] what to do and tell her what he wants from her. I think it will be relevant to the sentence that I give you examples. [Ça montre] All the intimacy that existed between the two,” explained Me Rousse judge Pierre E. Labelle.
Tommy-Lee Goneau also blackmailed the victim. According to the prosecutor, it was more like “emotional blackmail” than the type of blackmail a cyber robber typically carries out, threatening to post photos of the victim online if they are not given others.
In late August, after months of discussions, the victim’s mother finally discovered the pot of roses when she got her hands on her daughter’s cell phone. After his arrest, Tommy-Lee Goneau told investigators that he “needed help” even though he was already in therapy.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Me Hugo Rousse, Attorney General, at the Montreal Courthouse
The Crown prosecutor told the court it was “seriously considering” asking the judge to have Tommy-Lee Goneau evaluated to determine if he should be classified as a long-term offender. If given this label, the young man could be subject to strict long-term surveillance after his release from prison.
The case will be heard again in court next September. Me Ann Wasaja is representing the accused.