B.C. man gets 5 years in Snapchat child sex abuse case, as advocates warn of surge

By Canadian Press on January 21, 2026.

CAMPBELL RIVER — A British Columbia man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to sex crimes involving a minor he met over Snapchat, his jailing coming amid what advocates say is a surge in “extreme online violence.”

RCMP in Campbell River said on Wednesday that 33-year-old Dillon Caleb Partanen of Surrey pleaded guilty to charges including sexual interference and possession of child sexual exploitation material on Jan. 13.

Partanen was also ordered to register with the National Sex Offender Registry and give a DNA sample as part of his sentencing, in a case that stems back to 2023, when police said Partanen began engaging with an unidentified youth over Snapchat.

The interactions led to Partanen travelling to Campbell River, B.C., in April 2024, where police said he met the youth and committed the offences leading to the charges.

RCMP said they were notified of what happened the same day, and Partanen was arrested and ordered to stay away from Campbell River during the court process.

The Canadian Centre for Child Protection on Wednesday issued a warning about what it called “alarming new data” about online violence.

It said that from June 2022 to the end of 2025, two online platforms it operated received 127 reports of extreme violence, including 70 last year.

“These reports contained information about 75 child victims, with girls accounting for 84 per cent of victims,” in cases in which gender was known, it said.

“Most child victims were teenagers, with the youngest being only 11 years old.”

It said the reported behaviour included “aggressive coercive tactics, such as threats to distribute intimate images, blackmail, and doxxing in an attempt to force victims to engage in dangerous behaviours.”

Campbell River Const. Maury Tyre said in a statement that the case involving Partanen highlighted “the dangers that lurk in the online world” for youth, since social media platforms can be “a major meeting place for those who wish to traffic and take advantage of young people.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press