Dear Editor:
RE: Local man arrested in online child sexual exploitation, luring investigation, Nov. 9.
Child predator laws are failing us. It is disgusting to me that the men arrested for online child sexual exploitation were able to access online in the first place.
Wilfred Thyssen is an accused child sexual abuser, yet he was let out on bail and was able to continue to lure and exploit children. How was this allowed?
We need stricter laws in place when it comes to protecting children from predators. As a young teenage girl myself, I know how exciting the internet can be. It would be so easy to fall into the kind of trap that Thyssen was setting.
Why was Thyssen not monitored more closely? The conditions of his bail included not having access to the internet unless supervised by his surety, and yet he was obviously able to access it, and with what consequences? Suppose the police had not conducted their undercover project and caught him? He would have simply continued to sexually exploit children!
Even more upsetting is how unaware parents are of the dangers online. In a four-day investigation, no less than eight men were arrested! We must be more diligent in protecting children from these men.
The justice system is failing in locking up child sex offenders, giving them the opportunity to harm more children. In fact, almost all of the men who were arrested in this investigation are now out on bail.
It is only a matter of time before they attempt this again. This needs to stop.
Lillian Lenting,
Fergus