A Canadian man accused of running a sex tourism business in Thailand involving young boys is facing extradition to the United States.
John Wrenshall, 62, was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport early Monday and charged with several counts of organizing sexual encounters between tourists and young Thai boys.
The charges, made by U.S. authorities, allege Wrenshall operated a brothel at his home near Bangkok, and catered his business to international clients.
Wrenshall made a brief court appearance in London on Monday and was remanded in custody. He will appear in court again on Dec. 22.
The investigation apparently dates back to 2005, when Norwegian investigators found explicit images of child abuse on the Internet.
They traced the images to a U.S. citizen named Wayne Nelson Corliss, who was arrested last May and eventually pled guilty to several sex charges.
Corliss claims he stayed at Wrenshall's home in Thailand with two other Americans in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He said the men had sex with the boys and filmed the encounters.
Last August, Wrenshall was named in an 18-count indictment handed up by a federal grand jury in New Jersey and unsealed with his arrest.
The U.S. Department of Justice claims that Wrenshall has run a brothel since about 2000, inviting clients to stay at his home and telling them he would use the money "to support the boys."
None of the allegations against Wrenshall have been proven in court.
Wrenshall is charged with:
- one count of conspiracy to engage in sex tourism
- two counts of aiding and abetting sex tourism
- one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography
- seven counts of production of child pornography
- seven counts of distribution of child pornography
Canada's sex tourism laws
While Canada has a law that prohibits citizens from participating in sex tourism while at home or abroad, the legislation was not involved in bringing charges against Wrenshall.
David Butt, legal director for the Kids' Internet Safety Alliance, told CTV's Mike Duffy Live that the law, passed in 1996, has only been used once.
"It's been used in one case, a case on the West Coast where the individual essentially came into the country with the DVD evidence of his own crime," he said.
"So it really was a case that fell into the authorities' lap. It wasn't the result of any proactive application of that law."
Butt said Canada needs to provide the "necessary commitment to actually operationalize that law."
Investigators and lawyers should be working with consulates and embassies to apprehend any Canadian offenders that are identified, he said.
Jonathan Rosenthal, legal counsel for Beyond Borders, told Â鶹´«Ã½net that U.S. sex tourism laws are much tougher than those in Canada.
"Our sentencing laws, though we're coming along, are much more lax than those in the United States," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
