Worker said to have known at least one child though youth work
A youth worker in Alberta has been charged with child sexual exploitation offences after Saskatchewan’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) division learned about his offences in January this year.
Abraham Woo, 28, was charged with child luring, making child pornography, possession of child pornography, and distributing child pornography.
He was arrested by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) ICE unit on Feb. 2, 2024. Woo worked in youth facilities in both Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“ICE alleges that Woo was involved in luring of at least one child whom he had known previously though his youth work with Pasqua First Nations in southern Saskatchewan. These alleged offences took place over the social media applications Snapchat and Facebook,” said ALERT ICE.
Upon Saskatchewan’s ICE learning of his allege offences, investigation was associated to an investigation by Fort Qu’Appelle Saskatchewan RCMP.
“ICE’s investigation, which included a forensic examination of computers and electronic devices seized from Woo’s home, has led ICE to believe there may be additional victims. Amongst child sexual abuse materials, ICE identified photos that appear to have been taken in a locker room facility.”
“It’s not a small quantity,” Staff Sgt. Jon Morrison, unit commander of ALERT's ICE unit for northern Alberta, said of the child sexual abuse material found on the devices, according to a CTV News report.
If one of your employees is an alleged child sex offender and you’re an employer engaged in the education sector, then terminating that staff member immediately might seem like an appropriate course of action, according to a previous report.
Employment as a youth worker
Morrison believes it was the child’s parents who initially contacted the RCMP.
“The known victim, all I can say is it is a male victim. Other victims are yet to be identified,” Morrison said, in the report, adding the victim is receiving support services.
ALERT released censored versions of the photos Thursday, in hopes the public can help identify the location or the possible child victim.
Morrison told CBC the alleged child luring was recent.
"We believe that there was a prior existing awareness of each other through his employment as a youth worker and that's why the continued or the initiated contact occurred recently," Morrison said in the report.
Woo has worked as a youth worker or had access to children through his employment in both Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Previously, a worker was awarded over $100,000 in remedies after winning his appeal of unjustifiable dismissal.
Woo previously worked in both the First Nation's school and youth centre. Peigan said he was fired from his position for reasons unrelated to children, according to the CBC report.
Anyone with information about this offence is asked to contact their local police, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Woo was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 28, 2024.
