MONTREAL—A Montreal deacon charged with producing and distributing child pornography was granted bail on Thursday.
William Kokesch was ordered to deposit $10,000 and to return to court on Feb. 27.
He is not allowed to be in public areas where children are likely to gather. He is also forbidden from using a computer, smartphone, camera or having access to the Internet.
In a bid to regain his freedom, the former deacon of St-Edmund-of-Canterbury parish placed his hand on the Bible and addressed the court. A publication ban has been placed on all evidence presented in the case.
The bail conditions were announced as Montreal police said they have received more tips from the public since his photo was released.
Defence lawyer Jeffrey Boro said he did not believe his client poses a threat.
“They’re harsh conditions, but they're the conditions that the judge decided would strike a proper balance between the right to bail and the protection of society,” said Boro.
Kokesch's lawyer argued outside the courtoom that his client's safety would be at risk if he were to return to prison. He said Kokesh was spat upon and threatened while being brought to court on Monday.
After his arrest last Friday, Kokesch, 65, was charged Saturday via video link after police searched his west-end home a day earlier.
Police said earlier that investigators seized more than 2,000 images from his home.
Kokesch, a deacon for a church in the Montreal suburb of Beaconsfield, was relieved of his duties after the charges were laid.
—with files from The Canadian Press.
