Snapchat luring suspect faces new charges
Firas Alobaid, 22, of Fredericton, who’s awaiting jury trial on online communication, sex-assault charges, now faces additional allegations dating back to December 2021
A Fredericton man set to stand trial next month before a judge and jury on alleged luring and sex crimes involving minors faces new charges alleging offences involving another youth.
Firas Alobaid. 22, of Needham Street, was arrested in the summer of 2022, accused by the RCMP of luring underage complainants online using Snapchat and engaging in sexual encounters with them between January and June 2022 in the Oromocto area.
He opted to be tried in the Court of King’s Bench by a judge and jury on those charges, and that trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 19.
But Alobaid was back in Fredericton provincial court to answer to a new set of charges, similar in nature to the earlier ones.
He’s now accused of attempting to induce a minor by threats to distribute child pornography with the intent of obtaining it from her, communicating with that underage complainant online with intent of facilitating a sexual-touching offence and inviting that minor to touch him for a sexual purpose, all between Dec. 4-26, 2021, in Charters Settlement, near Fredericton.
The charges also include one count of transmitting child pornography in Charters Settlement on Dec. 26, 2021.
The identity of the complainant in the Charters Settlement is protected by a court-ordered publication, as is the case with the three complainants in the Oromocto charges.
Lawyer Alexandra Yousseff, acting as agent for Alobaid’s defence counsel Nathan Gorham, said the defence had just received disclosure of the Crown file a couple of days prior, with additional disclosure being made Thursday.
Prosecutor Rachel Anstey noted due to the sensitive nature of some of the disclosure, given the charges, the Crown had sought an undertaking from the defence, which is why the disclosure process took a little longer.
Youssef asked for an adjournment so the defence can review the disclosure and discuss the case with the client, and Judge Mary Jane Richards set the matter over to Oct. 12 for election of mode of trial and pleas.
Though the Charters Settlement charges pre-date the Oromocto counts, the RCMP laid them after those alleged to have occurred in 2022.
With regard to the Oromocto charges, Alobaid is accused of sexual assault, sexual touching, invitation to sexual touching and online luring involving Complainant No. 1, all alleged to have occurred between Jan. 1 and June 12, 2022.
He’s also accused of sexual assault, sexual touching, invitation to sexual touching and online communication for the purpose of committing a child-pornography crime, between April 1 and June 12, 2022, relating to Complainant No. 2.
Another set of charges relates to a third complainant and allege sexual assault, sexual touching and online luring between June 1-10, 2022.
Finally, he’s charged with uttering threats to Complainants No. 1 and 2 to kill them, and possessing a firearm or imitation thereof, on June 12.
None of the allegations against Alobaid has been proven in court.
The RCMP issued a news release in June 2022 detailing the investigation into Alobaid and asking any other possible complainants to come forward.
The Mounties’ news release stated the force embarked on an investigation after receiving reports about three girls in the Oromocto area being sexually assaulted.
The release said the investigation found Snapchat was being used to target teenage girls in the Oromocto and Fredericton area by using the app’s “Add Friends Nearby” function near secondary schools in the area.
Alobaid was initially remanded after his arrest, but he was released on conditions following a mandatory detention review in the Court of King’s Bench in November.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.
He is a pedophile and needs to go to jail if found guilty . To many charges for it not to be true . It looks like he was blackmailing the kids as well -- It is men like this man that kids kill themselves over and that needs to be stopped :( All good on the "He is not guilty yet" The only place for a pedophile is 6 feet under -- But that is my opinion -- Have a great day