Supreme Court sides with cops in internet child luring

Sean Patrick Mills

In a blow to child molesters and the underage sex trade, undercover cops posing as children do not need to obtain a judicial warrant before using email or instant-message services to communicate with someone suspected of child luring, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled. The high court decision came in the case of Sean Patrick Mills, a Newfoundland man convicted of internet luring after a police officer posed online as a 14-year-old girl named "Leann". Police used a screen-shot program to capture and record copies of the communications used to nail Mills, but they did not have a court-approved warrant.

Mills argued cops violated his Charter Rights

All seven Supreme Court judges concluded Mills should be found guilty. They said that adults cannot reasonably expect privacy online with children they do not know.