Editor’s note: The child pornography charges against Sudbury nephrologist Ian MacDonald were withdrawn by the Crown on Oct. 7, 2020 after Justice Heather-Ann Mendes ruled in September that search warrants issued following the seizure and subsequent search of MacDonald’s office computer were facially invalid and that the warrants “exceeded the authority that was intended to be granted.”
Pretrial motions have wrapped up in the child pornography case against Dr. Ian MacDonald.
Ontario Court Justice Heather-Ann Mendes presided over the two-day hearing, with assistant Crown attorney Stephanie Baker rounding out her submissions Tuesday morning.
The details of the pretrial motions cannot be made public under a Section 517 publication ban.
Mendes has reserved her decision on the matter, which will return to court July 22 to set a date for a ruling on the motions.
MacDonald is being represented by Toronto lawyer Michael Lacy.
The Health Sciences North nephrologist was arrested on May 15, 2019, by Greater Sudbury Police Service after hospital staff contacted them over concerns about activity on a computer at HSN.
The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit and computer forensic unit executed several search warrants and a forensic investigation was conducted on a computer seized from MacDonald’s office at HSN.
He was granted bail and was to live with his father in Belleville. In June, MacDonald’s spouse also pledged herself as a surtey, giving him the right to stay in Sudbury.
