Former Halifax sailor pleads guilty to smuggling ‘sexual exploitation’ dolls

A former sailor in the Royal Canadian Navy has pleaded guilty to a Customs Act charge of smuggling prohibited goods – two dolls described in court documents as “images of the sexual exploitation of children.”

Francois Nadeau, 31, was a boatswain on HMCS Toronto when he was arrested on February 10, 2021 after the Canada Border Services Agency executed a search warrant at his home in Lake Loon, near Dartmouth.

CBSA agents allegedly seized a doll, a firearm and a switchblade, which is a prohibited weapon. The CBSA had previously intercepted another dummy in Montreal.

Nadeau was charged under the Customs Act with two counts of smuggling or attempted smuggling of prohibited goods and one count of possession of illegally imported goods.

He also faces charges of importing and possessing child pornography, unauthorized possession of a firearm, unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon and careless storage of a firearm.

Nadeau awaited trial in Dartmouth Provincial Court in August but pleaded guilty to the single count on Wednesday, when he called Dartmouth Provincial Court from Quebec City, where he now lives. He is no longer in the Canadian Forces.

Federal Crown attorney Tim McLaughlin said the guilty plea was the result of lengthy discussions with attorney Elizabeth Cooper and county prosecutor Rob Kennedy.

The crime was committed between October and December 2020. Judge Bronwyn Duffy did not require McLaughlin to read facts.

At the defense’s request, the judge ordered a presentence report on Nadeau and instructed him to appear in person for his sentencing hearing, scheduled for October 27.

The offense carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $500,000 fine, but McLaughlin told the court the Crown is seeking a suspended sentence.

McLaughlin and Kennedy both said the rest of the charges against Nadeau are expected to be dismissed.

Nadeau, who served in the Navy for about 10 years, remains free on $1,000 bail with conditions prohibiting him from having contact with or being near anyone under the age of 16 and from entering parks, playgrounds, schools, recreation centers and visit other places where children may be present. He is also prohibited from carrying firearms, prohibited weapons, ammunition and explosives.