Sean Edward Leonard Gravells, 39, the ex-president of the North Peace Pride Society, is now facing multiple sex crime charges, including child pornography offenses.
The B.C. Prosecution Service spokesperson Dan McLaughlin confirmed the charges to Black Press Media on Tuesday.
Gravells is accused of “touching a person under 16 for sexual purposes, sexual interference of a person under 16, possession of child pornography, and importing or distributing child pornography,” according to CBC.
These incidents reportedly occurred in the vicinity of Fort St. John, a community located in northeastern British Columbia.
Gravells made his initial court appearance on January 1, 2024, with a subsequent arraignment hearing scheduled for January 29. Details of the case remain scarce as a publication ban is currently in place in Canada due to Trudeau’s law, limiting the information that can be disseminated to the public.
The North Peace Pride Society, where Gravells served as president since March 2018, issued a statement.
“On December 31, 2023, one of our board members was arrested and is facing severe charges inconsistent with the North Peace Pride Society’s mission and code of conduct. In response to the gravity of the charges, we have immediately removed this person from our board, emphasizing our commitment to our community’s values.
Due to the sensitivity of the situation and privacy considerations, we delayed our statement. However, we took swift actions, voting to remove this individual on January 3, 2024, and have advised our community partners regarding the next steps.
We want to clarify that the society itself is not implicated in any charges; these are isolated to the individual.
While some board members work directly with youth through library programs, this person was not among them. All board members involved in youth programs have undergone criminal record checks.
Moving forward, we remain dedicated to community safety. We are implementing measures such as subjecting all board members to record checks to uphold the highest standards.”
The North Peace Pride Society has removed all references to Gravells from its website and is actively cooperating with law enforcement.
“I have been involved in the North Peace Pride Society since Sept 2017, becoming President in March 2018. It’s exciting and stressful sometimes, but it fills my heart with pride to be a part of something that shows how much support the LGBTQ+ community has in Fort St John,” according to a now-deleted biography on the organization’s website.
Sean Gravells, the former president of a pride organization in British Columbia, was just charged with possession of CP and for sexually touching a person under 16. Here he is pretending to care about children at a pride event. pic.twitter.com/RO883sXbjN
— Expose Them (@ExposeDarkDeeds) January 10, 2024
