Roderick Janssen's sentence upheld after appeal denied in child-porn case
One of Alberta's most prolific child pornographers will continue to carry the designation of long-term offender.
In a decision released Tuesday, three justices with the Alberta Court of Appeal unanimously upheld the 14-year sentence and designation of former Calgary church volunteer Roderick Janssen, 39.
"He used his position as a church councillor and trusted friend to take boys on trips and bring them to his house to spend time, play video games and use his hot tub," the decision reads.
"The sentencing judge recognized the serious challenges faced by [Janssen] before he could be safely integrated into the community."
About 80,000 images and 3,000 videos were seized from Janssen's computer.
Provincial court Judge Catherine Skene called it the largest collection of child pornography of anyone prosecuted in Alberta history.
Janssen was arrested in April 2011 after a joint investigation between the Alberta Law Enforcement Teams (ALERT) and the FBI.
Convicted in 2013
He pleaded guilty to 18 charges, including possessing and making child pornography and sexual assault, between 2006 and 2011.
The victims were 10 boys between the ages of six and 13-years-old.
Much of the pornography was made in Janssen's bedroom where he had installed a green screen as part of his make-shift studio.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in June 2013 and designated a long-term-offender, which comes with a 10-year community supervision order upon his release.
Janssen's lawyer said at the time of sentencing that his client was remorseful.
Following his sentence, Janssen filed an appeal, asking the higher court to reconsider his long-term offender designation and the sentence, which he called "unduly harsh."
A pre-sentence psychiatrist's report concluded that Janssen is a high-risk to re-offend.
