OTTAWA - A Toronto-area man facing dozens of child pornography and sexual assault charges appeared briefly in court today.
Scott Waldo Fraser, wearing jeans and a black golf shirt, stood silently as a justice of the peace remanded his case until Aug. 31.
No bail hearing has been set, but a ban was placed on publication of the names of any of the alleged victims in the case, as well as any evidence presented before trial.
Ottawa police allege the balding 52-year-old Brampton, Ont., man lured boys aged anywhere from 9 to 17 years old into his home to sexually abuse them in front of cameras and on videotape.
Police were tipped off when the U.S. Postal Inspection Service notified Toronto investigators in April that a Canadian was suspected of abusing boys and sharing images of the assaults.
Peel Regional Police searched a Brampton house in May and arrested Fraser at the request of Ottawa police.
Fraser faces 42 charges, including sexual assault, touching a minor, extortion and making child pornography.
The alleged assaults took place in the Ottawa area between 2002 and 2008.
Police have been sifting through hundreds of thousands of images on several computers and an external hard drive, although investigators say it is not yet known how many — if any at all — are child pornography.
It is unclear if Fraser actually sent the alleged photos and videos through the mail but police say there were pictures distributed online.
