St. Thomas police are appealing to members of the public to come forward after a man charged with multiple sexual offenses involving a minor was also discovered to be in possession of child pornography, stemming from multiple females who visited his apartment.
According to a Facebook post shared on Monday, the St. Thomas Police Service said that on May 21, 2021 a 59-year-old man named Eugene Francois was arrested at his Talbot Street home for allegedly trafficking a person under the age of 18, sexual assault and sexual exploitation.
The charges pertain to a woman who was reportedly trafficked by Francois in 2013 when she was a minor.
Police say that a search warrant was executed at Francois’ residence in order to find evidence of the aforementioned offences.
As a result of the search warrant, police say a number of devices were seized and it was the largest seizure of computers and devices in the history of the St. Thomas Police Service.
Following a year-long investigation and analysis of the devices, police determined that Francois had allegedly been filming female victims in his apartment without their knowledge or consent.
Francois operated a music studio that offered music and recording lessons, and a number of female victims were captured on video – some of whom were underage.
Police say that an additional 16 charges have now been leveled against Francois in relation to the 10 victims. The charges include voyeurism, making child pornography and possession of child pornography.
The processing of thousands of images have discovered several victims that have not yet been identified, according to police.
None of the charges have yet been proven in court.
St. Thomas police urge that any females who attended the residence of Eugene Francois between 2009 and May 2021 to please come forward and contact the Criminal Investigation Branch.