Sentenced Lantzville sex offender claimed he was a vigilante hunter

“He told police that he did not recall possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation material, he also specifically denied distributing, or sharing any such images,” Crown counsel’s Jordan Hauschildt told a provincial court sentencing hearing.

All three devices contained illegal material, amounting to nearly 300 images and four videos.

Half of the pictures were generated via artificial intelligence software.

The exploited girls were estimated between the ages of 5 and 12, and none of the material involved contact offending by adults.

A pre-sentence report, as well as a forensic evaluation, were ordered.

Simard-Desjardins’ rationale for offending included his assertion he was serving the role as a form of vigilante creep-catcher, Hauschildt said.

“Mr. Simard-Desjardins told the report writer that he had created images using that artificial intelligence generation software to facilitate his plan to meet other internet users who were attracted to children.”

Court was told Simard-Desjardins was the victim of sexual abuse for several years as a child, as well as suffered emotional and psychological abuse from his mother.

The court-ordered reports stated Simard-Desjardins suffered a concussion as a young teenager in a skiing accident, which the offender stated led to cognitive impairment.

Psychological testing determined Simard-Desjardins is in the moderate range for depression and has mild anxiety.

Simard-Desjardins did not present symptoms for any diagnosable psychiatric disorders.

“He denied possessing the images for sexual gratification,” Hauschildt said.

Mandatory minimum jail sentences of one-year for Simard-Desjardins did not apply at the time of his offending, which has since been reinstated after previously being declared unconstitutional, Hauschildt told court.

The offender underwent 14 one-on-one counselling sessions with a forensic psychologist in 2024 and 2025, however, Hauschildt said Simard-Desjardins reported he stopped attending due to diminishing funds.

Simard-Desjardins made arrangements to maintain ownership of his home while he’s in jail.

Defence attorney, Babak Zargarian, told court his client remains open to counselling and has gained significant insight into his offending.

Zargarian said Simard-Desjardins’ father noticed immediate changes in behaviour after his son suffered the head injury while skiing.

“What he noticed includes emotional problems, personality change, differences in his inter-personal relations, impacts on his romantic relationships,” Zargarian relayed.

The defence attorney told the presiding judge he unsuccessfully attempted to obtain medical records from a Quebec hospital to further assist the court.

Court was told the offender has a supportive girlfriend whom he’s been dating for the past year.

A tearful Simard-Desjardins rose in court to address the judge during a brief statement.

The offender said he never thought he’d ever be in this situation like this.

“Your Honour, I’m not going to use any excuses, I’m ashamed,” a sobbing Simard-Desjardins said, who has a dated criminal record for a prior offence in Quebec.

Judge Tamara Hodge accepted a joint sentence recommendation, which includes two years probation, followed by three years of restricted conditions specifically for sex offenders.

“There’s an inherent wrongness in this kind of offending…but I find that Mr. Simard-Desjardins’ moral culpability is not at the high end of the range for this type of offence given all of the circumstances of the offence and his personal circumstances,” judge Hodge said.

Simard-Desjardins will appear on the National Sex Offender Registry for 20 years, which is only accessible by police departments across the country.

The offender was also ordered to supply a DNA sample.

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by Ian Holmes

Sentenced Lantzville sex offender claimed he was a vigilante hunter

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