Bill Surkis accusé

Bill Surkis, un leader de la communauté juive, est accusé de possession de matériel de pornographie juvénile. Il a comparu au palais de justice de Montréal, vendredi après-midi.

Une vingtaine de vidéos de pornographie infantile auraient été retrouvés dans l’ordinateur que M. Surkis a envoyé dans un magasin de réparation.

Informé jeudi soir des accusations, celui qui fut directeur de la section québécoise du B’nai Brith s’est rendu lui-même au poste de police, où il a été mis en état d’arrestation. Il est accusé d’accès et de possession de matériel de pornographie juvénile.

Pour chacun des chefs d’accusation, Surkis est passible d’un minimum de 45 jours en prison. La peine maximale est de 10 ans, selon son avocat, Steven Slimovitch.

Bill Surkis, 69 ans, a été remis en liberté sous plusieurs conditions. Il lui est interdit de se trouver seul en présence de mineurs, et son utilisation d’un ordinateur est limitée à des fins professionnelles. Il doit aussi informer, chaque mois, la police à propos de sa navigation sur le net, et ne pourra pas quitter le Québec.

L’accusé, marié et grand-père, reviendra en cour le 24 septembre prochain pour connaître la suite des procédures.

« Ils seront déçus. Ils me connaissent comme un individu dévoué », a déclaré M. Surkis quant à l’impact qu’aura son arrestation au sein de la communauté juive.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/Montreal/2009/05/29/006-Sukis-pornographie-juvenile.shtml

Computer maintenance uncovers child porn-B’nai Brith

MONTREAL – It was only when Bill Surkis sent his computer to a repair shop to check for a virus that police were notified of suspicious videos on his hard drive.

Based on that evidence, the former regional director of B’nai Brith in Quebec was charged Friday with two counts relating to the possession and accessing of child pornography between July and November, 2008.

Surkis, 69, who was also the academic dean of John Abbott College for 22 years, and the executive director of the Holocaust Memorial Centre, spent the night in jail before being released with a long list of conditions Friday afternoon.

He is forbidden from being in the presence of minors or in any park or playground where minors congregate. It was not clear whether this condition also applies to his own grandchildren.

He is forbidden from using his computer or any other equipment to access the Internet except for work purposes, and he is barred from going to Internet cafés.

Surkis has been working recently as a political consultant.

And he was ordered to give up his passport and remain in Quebec unless given written permission by the prosecutor.

Surkis’s lawyer, Steven Slimovitch, said his client was very upset by the charges.

“He understands how serious the accusation is,” Slimovitch said. “We will not make light of this.”

If found guilty, Surkis will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 days and a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

That said, Slimovitch pointed out that Surkis has no prior accusations or history of using child pornography. And althoug the videos were found on his computer, Slimovitch said, his client is not accused of making, selling or trafficking the videos.

Slimovitch, who is also National Legal Counsel for B’nai Brith Canada, said the news will likely come as a shock to the Jewish community.

“He’s a community leader,” he said. “I assume everyone will take a step back and look at this seriously.”

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Former+director+Brith+Quebec+faces+child+porn+charges/1644215/story.html