Society's Most Base

The creepy reality of child molestation exists in some of the most unexpected places. People who should be above suspicion must traditionally have felt, when pursuing their disgusting pathology of finding sexual gratification in the abuse of vulnerable children, that no one would ever suspect them. And no one did. It was the homeless, the social outcasts, the poverty-stricken, the gender-differentiated that were always thought to represent the unspeakable community of pederasty.

And then along came the wonderful advent of technological advances in communication. Back when respectable community leaders, businessmen, wealthy philanthropists, celebrities in the field of popular entertainment, clergymen and others held in great respect by general society could be assured that no one would ever know, no one ever did know. There might have been niggling suspicion, there might have been victims who came forward, but who would believe them?

The word of a hysterically tearful child as opposed to the dignified word of an moral, reputational-offended elder? Not likely. When the world wide web became a reality a world of possibilities opened up. For pedophiles and the cognoscenti of child pornography that opportunity presented as countless new venues where they could share their horrible abuse of the young, and find alternative sites that promised them huge entertainment value and opportunities.

And then there was the other side of the coin. Forensic science, police investigations and a new societal determination to bring these monsters to justice were aided by the ability to trace and track, contact and practise deceit in persuading child molesters that the child they had made contact with online was ripe and ready to be plucked...when the 'child' was an undercover agent. In addition, perusal of hard drives proved an invaluable tool for acquiring evidence.

Now, news of yet another highly respected individual, an academic and politician no less, revealed as a child pornographer. Innocent until proven guilty. On the other hand, with sufficient evidence at hand, authorities place the charges and a court date is set. Police are careful to ensure sufficient evidence exists. A former provincial deputy education minister charged with offences related to child pornography: two counts of distributing child pornography, one count of making child pornography.

A professor at the University of Toronto who was helpfully part of Premier Kathleen Wynne's transition team is now facing five charges in total, although it is possible that additional charges can be added. Police executed a search warrant following an online child exploitation investigation, following which Benjamin Levin of Toronto, 61 years of age, was arrested on Monday.

Charges include counselling to commit an indictable offence, and arrangement of a sexual offence against a child under 16.

Mr. Levin gave service as a good citizen of Ontario, and a valued public servant, to the government of former Premier Dalton McGuinty, as deputy minister of education from 2004 to 2007. Before that time, from 1999 to 2002 he served as deputy minister of advanced education and deputy minister of education, training and youth in Manitoba. The ironies are disgusting in their ramifications.

This sterling member of civilized society has a master of education degree from Harvard and is currently a professor and research chair in education and leadership at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. Proud achievements in the world of academia and public service. Irremediably bespoiled by a truly unpalatable and inexplicable mental disease.

In an interview Toronto police revealed they had been assisted in their investigation by London, Ontario police and the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand. "The investigation is ongoing and the potential is there for us to discover more, but at this point we have the charges that we've got", advised Toronto police Const.Wendy Drummond of the investigation that had been in progress for a few months prior to the warrant for arrest.