A man from Marshall, Saskatchewan received a ground-breaking sentence today after pleading guilty to 53 child pornography-related charges, including sharing more than 4,000 images of children being raped and tortured.

Shane Pattison, 22, was sentenced to a five year penitentiary term -- believed to be the highest sentence for a child pornography case in Saskatchewan -- but will spend a total of four years and seven months in a federal prison given his time in custody.

"I think it represents an upping of the sentencing bar for child pornography offenses in Saskatchewan," said Crown prosecutor Matthew Segu, while speaking outside Saskatoon's Court of Queen's Bench Friday.

"They've sent a strong message that children need to be protected from individuals who will prey on them, or assist others in preying on them as Mr. Pattison did."

Pattison's charges included producing child pornography in relation to a manual he developed on how to sexually abuse children.

During sentencing arguments in June, court also heard how Pattison asked his fiancé to watch child pornography with him, to which she declined.

The accused also applied for babysitting jobs on Kijiji and Craigslist, and admitted during a police interview that he may not be able to control himself if left alone with a child.

Segu had argued Pattison spend seven years in jail, while defense lawyer, Brian Pfefferle, argued for a two to three year sentence.

"Certainly the sentence is within the range that (Pattison) was prepared for," said Pfefferle.

"I won't say that he was surprised by it. He is aware of the gravity of these offenses and knew that this would be, in many ways, a precedent-setting case in this province."

Pfefferle said there were some mitigating factors that Justice Mona Dovell took into account when sentencing his client.

"The fact that this is an accused person who is very young and the chance for rehabilitation for young people is a lot higher than for older offenders," said Pfefferle.

Pattison's mother and fiancé attended Friday's sentencing.

He also has a one-year-old child, who is currently in his mother's custody.

bmcadam@rawlco.com

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