Nova Scotia man convicted of luring U.S. teen, possessing child exploitation material
The judge said Bryce Melanson ignored red flags about the girl's age before they exchanged nude images online.
AMHERST · A Nova Scotia man has been found guilty of luring a teenage girl from the United States online and possessing child sexual exploitation material. Bryce Melanson, 29, of Springhill, was convicted on three charges in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Friday. Justice Jeffery Hunt ruled that Melanson failed to verify the girl's age before they exchanged nude images in the spring of 2023. The victim's identity is protected by a publication ban.
Justice Hunt stated that the girl's photographs and her status as a high school student were clear indicators she was not an adult. He accepted evidence that Melanson had learned the girl was 15 years old months before their online contact began. Their interactions escalated to an in-person meeting in August 2023, which prompted an Amber Alert for the girl. U.S. authorities later alerted the RCMP's internet child exploitation unit, leading to an investigation.
RCMP said Melanson returned to Canada with child pornography on his electronic devices. He was arrested in March 2024 and later faced additional charges, including uttering threats and criminal harassment for allegedly contacting the girl while on release. Justice Hunt acquitted Melanson on those counts, citing insufficient evidence to prove he authored the messages in question. "I am not left sure, to the criminal standard, which of the particular messages were his. I therefore have a narrow but reasonable doubt on the authorship," Hunt said.
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Crown prosecutor Peter Dostal said the verdicts on the core charges were a satisfactory outcome. He praised the now 18-year-old complainant for testifying remotely from the United States. "Coming forward and being able to speak about what had happened to them … takes a lot of courage and takes a lot of willingness and faith in the system being able to handle it properly," Dostal said. Melanson's lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Melanson is scheduled to return to court in Amherst for sentencing in late January. In an unrelated case, Halifax police and RCMP have charged a 52-year-old man, Matthew Gavin Smith, with luring a child following an online investigation. Police executed a search warrant at a home on Viscaya Place on Oct. 27 and seized electronic devices. Smith is expected in court on Dec. 2 and was released with conditions.
"In Nova Scotia, it is mandatory to report suspected child sexual abuse and exploitation material," the RCMP said.
With files from CBC News and CityNews