Defence counsel for a former Sudbury court employee and youth music program founder facing child exploitation charges appeared in court on his behalf May 14, updating the judge on the status of the case now that well-known Toronto attorney, Michael Lacy, has been retained.
GSPS reported July 25 of last year that a then 63-year-old Joel Mackey was arrested July 18 as a result of an ongoing investigation, instigated by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). He was charged with accessing child sexual abuse material and possession of child sexual abuse material.
None of the allegations have been tested in court and the accused is considered innocent unless proven guilty.
Appearing in Sudbury court today was Lacy’s co-cousel, Bryan Badali. As Mackey works for the Ministry of the Attorney General as a court reporter (authorized transcriptionist), the case will be handled by Cameron Peters, a Crown attorney normally working out of Barrie, in order to avoid a conflict of interest.
Badali told Justice Diane Lafleur that a Crown pre-trial took place earlier this week, and a judicial pre-trial was scheduled for May 26.
A Crown pre-trial allows the accused and their lawyer to speak to the Crown outside of a courtroom setting. It is usually held after disclosure to allow for fulsome discussion, and the main goal is for the accused to learn what evidence may be raised at trial, or, if desired, for them to resolve their case with a guilty plea and a sentencing recommendation.
The judicial pre-trial is a meeting between the defence and their client, the Crown, and a judge and is meant to sort out issues before the trial or, if possible, resolve the case without a trial. Outcomes might include a withdrawal of the charge(s), diversion or a guilty plea. Unless the case can be resolved, at the conclusion of the judicial pre-trial, a date will usually be set for a guilty plea, preliminary inquiry or trial.
After the judicial pre-trial, Mackey’s matter is set to go back to assignment court June 7 for next steps in the case.
In addition to his work at the courthouse, Mackey was also the founder of children’s music program Sudbury Youth Rocks (later changed to Youth Canada Rocks).
For this work, which provided musical instruction to children and teens who might otherwise not have had the opportunity, Sudbury.com profiled him as part of our Acts of Kindness series.
At the time, he said more than 100 youth had been helped by the program, which offered young people a chance to play music as a form of therapy.
You can read more about him here.
In the original reporting of the crime, police reported that their Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit received information from NCMEC in relation to “an individual believed to be accessing child exploitation material in Greater Sudbury.”
On July 3, 2024, the ICE and Computer Forensics Units executed a search warrant at Mackey’s residence in Greater Sudbury and computer devices were seized. As a result Mackey was arrested and charged July 18.
Jenny Lamothe covers vulnerable and marginalized populations, as well as housing issues and the justice system for Sudbury.com.