The accused was charged with multiple sexual offences after an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old boy on social media applications received sexually explicit communications and images.
The Crown's case on identity was entirely circumstantial, relying on the use of the accused's phone number, his likeness in the images, and his residence.
The court found that while the evidence was cogent, the lack of metadata, the failure to investigate another resident's devices, and the possibility of shared login credentials left a reasonable doubt as to whether the accused was the person communicating with the officer.
The accused was acquitted of all charges.
