Geary man admits to child-porn crime

Nathan William MacKenzie, 39, will be sentenced early in new year, faces jail term

A Geary man will be sentenced in January after admitting Wednesday that he possessed child pornography in early 2022.

Nathan William MacKenzie, 39, of Colbourne Drive, appeared in Fredericton provincial court Wednesday with defence counsel Edward Derrah to answer to an RCMP charge of possessing child pornography in Geary on Feb. 25, 2022.

Nathan William MacKenzie (Photo: Facebook)

MacKenzie elected to be tried in provincial court and pleaded guilty to the indictable offence.

Judge Mary Jane Richards set the sentencing hearing over to Jan. 2 and ordered the preparation of a pre-sentence report for the court’s consideration.

Under the Criminal Code of Canada, indictable possession of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum jail term of one year.

But as of late, higher courts in Canada have been ruling that such mandatory minimum sentences are unconstitutional, even for sex-related offences.

Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.