A former Chilliwack pastor is now in jail for child pornography charges following a lengthy, and ultimately unsuccessful, appeal process.

John Vermeer was convicted in 2021 for two charges each of accessing and possessing child pornography, after suspicious activity on his church鈥檚 network server (Main Street Church) was discovered. It was reported to police and an investigation found offences dating from 2010 to 2015.

He was found guilty of all four charges and handed a 14-month jail sentence in October 2021. Dozens of images of child porn were found on Vermeer鈥檚 personal laptop and his church office desktop computer.

鈥淢r. Vermeer possessed some of the most offensive, harmful and depraved forms of abuse on children,鈥� Judge Andrea Ormiston said in reading her decision.

He appealed the convicted to the BC Court of Appeals, and released on bail. That appeal was dismissed in May 2023, and so Vermeer elevated his appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

On Jan. 11, the Supreme Court also dismissed his appeal, and Vermeer鈥檚 sentence began.

The RCMP released this information on Feb. 1, adding that Vermeer will also face 18 months of probation when he鈥檚 eventually released, as well as being placed on the sex offender registry for 10 years.

鈥淭his was a lengthy investigation completed meticulously by the Chilliwack RCMP Serious Crimes Unit and General Investigation Support Team鈥� said Cpl. Carmen Kiener. 鈥淭his recent court decision highlights the hard work our officers do in an area of policing that is not often discussed due to its sensitive content.鈥�

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