Police have arrested a prominent LGBTQ leader on several charges related to horrific crimes against children, prosecutors have revealed.
Prosecutors informed CBC News that former North Peace Pride Society (NPPS) President Sean Gravells was arrested on December 31 for alleged sex crimes against children.
Gravells of British Columbia, Canada faces charges of sexual interference with a person under 16, physical contact with a person under 16 for sexual purposes, and possessing as well as importing or distributing child pornographic materials.
The charges were revealed in a statement to CBC News from Dan McLaughlin, a B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) spokesman.
BREAKING: Sean Gravells, an outspoken LGBTQ activist and President of an LGBTQ pride organization in Canada was arrested for se* crimes against children and possessing and distributing child p*rn*grap*y pic.twitter.com/dSSX6SEBsx
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 10, 2024
Gravells has been removed from his position with NPPS since his arrest for the alleged offenses, NPPS said in a Friday statement posted to Facebook.
According to CBC News, the former pride president allegedly committed interference and exploitation crimes on December 29, 2023 and child pornography crimes on Dec. 31, 2023 near Fort St. John, the BCPS spokesperson said.
“On December 31, 2023, one of our board members was arrested and is facing severe charges inconsistent with the North Peace Pride Society’s mission and code of conduct,” the NPPS wrote in the statement.
“In response to the gravity of the charges, we have immediately removed this person from the board, emphasizing our commitment to our community’s values.”
The NPPS statement said “swift actions” were taken once the pride organization learned of the 39-year-old suspect’s “severe charges.”
Gravells was NPPS board president from 2018 until his termination, an NPPS website biography that has been removed stated.
He was not in direct contact with children through the role, the NPPS statement read.
“While some board members work directly with youth through library programs, this person was not among them,” the NPPS wrote in the statement.
“All board members involved in youth programs have undergone criminal record checks.
“Moving forward, we remain dedicated to community safety.
“We are implementing measures such as subjecting all board members to record checks to uphold the highest standards.”
