Dartmouth man admits sharing intimate images of girl without her consent

A young Dartmouth man has pleaded guilty to distributing intimate images of a teenage girl without her consent.

Brennan Conan Oake, 23, changed his plea in Dartmouth provincial court Tuesday, when he was scheduled to stand trial on six charges involving two girls.

The offence was committed between August 2020 and May 2022, when the complainant was between the ages of 14 and 16.

Members of the Halifax Regional Police-RCMP internet child exploitation unit arrested Oake on May 26, 2022, when they executed a search warrant at his residence after receiving information that a man had obtained and was sharing pornographic material of children under the age of 16 online.

Defence lawyer Tony Amoud advised the court Tuesday his client was aware he was giving up his right to a trial and was admitting the essential elements of the offence.

Judge Jill Hartlen ordered a presentence report at the request of the defence and scheduled Oake’s sentencing hearing for Nov. 10.

Lawyers have not agreed on a sentencing recommendation. Amoud said he will be seeking a conditional sentence to be served in the community, and Crown attorney Rob Kennedy will be asking for jail time.

Two other charges — possession and distribution of child pornography — involving the same complainant will be dismissed in the fall after Oake is sentenced on the other count.

Oake also faced three charges in relation to a second girl: luring a child under the age of 16 over the internet for the purpose of committing a sexual offence, making sexually explicit material available to someone under 16 and uttering threats.

The prosecutor informed the court he was content to resolve those charges by way of a one-year peace bond.

The court order requires Oake to keep the peace and be of good behaviour, have no contact with the alleged victim and not be within 20 metres of her home, school or place of employment.

Those three charges were expected to be dismissed after Oake signed the peace bond at the court administration office.

The identities of both girls are protected by a publication ban.

Outside court, Kennedy confirmed he will be looking for a provincial jail sentence for Oake, meaning a term of under two years, “with other orders to ensure the safety of children in the community.”

The indictable offence of distributing intimate images without consent carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

“These are the types of offences that parents are extremely concerned about — their children being exploited and victimized by people through social media,” the Crown attorney said.
“The accused in this case was much older than the complainant. He publicly victimized her in the most personal way possible by putting sexually explicit images of her on the internet and sharing those images with her family.”

The victim, now 17, attended court Tuesday with her mother and stepfather. Kennedy said the teen “definitely” will be submitting an impact statement for the sentencing hearing, and there may be one from her mom as well.