Child porn divorce drama

Did a former Vernon police officer download and keep child porn on his computer? Or, was it placed there by his wife in a ploy to fare better in their imminent divorce?

That is the case before the court as former RCMP officer Ryan David Victor Hampton stands trial on charges of possession of child pornography.

His ex-wife alleges she found a flash drive in their home that contained 62 images and three videos of child porn – a flash drive she eventually turned in to police. Hampton was arrested the next day.

He faces nine counts, including two of possessing and accessing child pornography, six counts of breach of undertaking for contacting his ex-wife when ordered not to, and one count of attempting to obstruct justice by allegedly telling her not to contact police.

As each of the nine counts was read, Hampton stayed standing in his orange jumpsuit and said, “Not guilty, my lord.”

The scheduled 10-day trial started on Monday in Kelowna, before Supreme Court Justice Barry Davies.

Defence counsel Jason Tarnow said he intends to show Hampton's former wife knew a divorce was imminent and downloaded the images herself, using a computer she had registered in his name, to tarnish his name and ensure she fared well in the divorce settlement.

“This was the beginning of a plan ... to come out better in the divorce, where she wanted the children, she wanted the child support, she wanted all the equity in the home,” said Tarnow.

Tarnow alleges Hampton's ex took advantage of his addiction at the time to heroin, cocaine and alcohol to concoct the plan without him knowing.

“Because of his addictions, his work suffered tremendously and his home life was full of turmoil,” stated Tarnow.

“He was a vulnerable mess of an addict and (she) preferred in that way, because it provided her the opportunity to download the child pornography onto the laptop and then on to the USB drive right under his nose, without him knowing. My lord, she set him up.”

He pointed to inconsistencies in the wife's statements to police and alleged her plan "cost this man a career, his reputation, his house and his family.” 

Crown counsel Claire Ducluzeau called Hampton's ex-wife, a fellow police officer, to the stand.

The two starting dating in 2010 and were wed in June 2011.

When she turned the USB drive in to police in May 2013, she was pregnant with their third child. Their divorce was official in the fall of 2014.

She told court the relationship was rocky from the start.

“Lots of fighting and reconciliation, separations,” she said.

She testified she started watching Hampton's online activity after she caught him typing "child pornography" into the browser search bar of their desktop computer.

She claims he was looking at an image of a young woman with pigtails and small breasts.

“I said to him 'What are you looking at that for? She looks really young?'”said the witness, who claimed Hampton told her he was trying to find pictures of young, but legal, teen girls.

Following the incident in June 2012 she put a password on the desktop computer so Hampton had limited access to it. She testified that after she didn't see anything of concern for a period of six months, she bought him a new laptop. That computer was entered as evidence in the trial.

The woman claimed she found the flash drive on a bookshelf in their basement in the spring of 2013. She says she was in shock when she plugged it into her computer and saw images of very young children.

“Two of them looked just like our daughter ... I am sure it was not her, but...”

She immediately started packing his bag to kick him out of the house when he arrived home.

“He yelled at me, 'There is no one under 10' ... He started punching the door and yelling 'Should I put two in my head now or later?'”

She said she kept the evidence for nearly a month before turning it over to police. She didn't want to believe her husband was a pedophile and didn't want to ruin his career.

She claimed that when he explained to her it was group of files accidentally downloaded in what he thought was an adult porn file, she believed him and even gave him the opportunity to take the USB drive and destroy it. But, she said, it showed up again.

Hampton made no noise from the prisoner's box, but shook his head in apparent disbelief several times.

Ducluzeau said she would be calling several witnesses, including other officers from the Vernon detachment who were involved in the investigation. Defence said it would also be bringing officers to the stand.

Cross-examination was expected Monday afternoon. 

For past stories on this case, click here.