John Vermeer, a former pastor of Main Street Church in Chilliwack, is now serving a 14-month jail jail sentence after losing his appeal to Canada’s highest court.
On Jan. 11, 2024 the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Vermeer’s appeal and he started serving his sentence. After he is released, he will be on probation for 18 months and placed on the Sex Offender Registry for 10 years.
The RCMP investigation started in 2015 when suspicious activity was detected on the church network server and led to the discovery of child pornography on Vermeer’s office computer. The discovery was reported to police.
A lengthy investigation ensued. In 2018, BC Prosecution Service approved two charges each of accessing child pornography and possessing child pornography with offence dates between 2010 to 2015.
Vermeer was convicted on all charges after a trial in BC Provincial Court in 2021
Vermeer appealed the conviction to the BC Court of Appeals and was release on bail pending the result of that appeal. The BC Court of Appeals heard Vermeer’s case, but the appeal was dismissed in May 2023. Vermeer then appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
“This was a lengthy investigation completed meticulously by the Chilliwack RCMP Serious Crimes Unit and General Investigation Support Team,” said Cpl. Carmen Kiener, “This recent court decision highlights the hard work our officers do in an area of policing that is not often discussed due to its sensitive content.”
