Former Saskatoon Air Cadet shared child porn over Snapchat, judge rules

A former Saskatoon Air Cadet was convicted for distributing child pornography last month for sharing nude photos of a fellow cadet over Snapchat.

According to a Jan. 22 judgment from Justice Q.D. Agnew, Saskatoon resident Rhett Holynski lured two fellow Air Cadets into sharing nude photos with him between 2017 and 2019, when they were both under 18-years-old.

Agnew says Holynski was a member of the cadets from the time he was 12-years-old until he aged out. He attended weekly meetings and usually one of the two out-of-town camps held every year.

Holynski acknowledged during the trial that he had texted both girls, referred to as AB and EF, requesting nude photos, but he told the court he deliberately waited until they were 16-years-old before asking.

“Although I do not believe him on this point, it is immaterial since, despite his apparent belief to the contrary, there is no legal significance to that age in the context of these charges,” Agnew wrote in his decision.

According to the court document, Holynski was around 21-years-old when he asked 16-year-old AB for her pictures.

Holynski initially faced charges for sharing photos of both girls, but Agnew ruled that only the photos of EF constituted child pornography.

Police found the images of EF on Holynski and AB’s phones after the girls filed reports of sexual assault against him. She couldn’t recall how she received the photos of EF, but the judge reasoned that since only Holynski had copies, he must have shared them with her.

Although the photos of AB were not deemed child pornography, Holynski was convicted of luring in both cases for requesting nude pictures from girls he knew to be under 18.

“This charge does not require that the accused actually receive child pornography as a result of the communication: simply requesting it is sufficient,” Agnew said.