Swampscott child porn suspect guilty

SWAMPSCOTT – A Swampscott man was remanded into custody Friday afternoon after a jury found him guilty of 11 of 15 child pornography counts.Stephen Surette, 53, of 32 Allen Road, Swampscott, was on trial for 12 counts of child pornography and three counts of possession of pornography with the intent to disseminate in connection with alleged incidents on or about April 2003 to May 17, 2006.According to Lawrence Superior Court Clerk Magistrate Robert Murphy, Surette was found guilty on eight counts of possession of child pornography and guilty on all three counts of possession of pornography with the intent to disseminate.The jury, which started deliberations on Thursday afternoon, entered the verdict on Friday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Surette, who has remained free on $1,000 bail since his arraignment in Lynn District Court, was immediately taken into custody. He faces up to five years in state prison on each of the child pornography charges he was convicted of and up to 20 years in state prison on each of the dissemination of child pornography offenses.According to police reports, law enforcement was led to Surette after the Department of Homeland Security became involved in an investigation into a German pornographer last November.Surette’s e-mail address had been recorded by the pornographer and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement tracked his identity down through the Internet service provider who turned the name over to Swampscott police. After a six-month investigation, police arrested him May 16 at his home and seized his computer, videotapes and computer disks. Prior to his arrest, Surette was a fifth grade teacher at a Malden Elementary School.According to police reports, when Surette, who used the screen name ssmil123, was interviewed by police he told them he likes to drink and look at pornography on Sunday.Surette reportedly told police that he only viewed the pornography and he told the officers he had “an obsession with pornography” but did not distribute it or actively molest children.Calls to defense lawyer David G. Twohig were not immediately returned on Friday.The images found on his computer included an actual missing child, another depicts a mother with her 13-year-old son and another image of a girl with a stuffed animal.Essex Assistant District Attorney Jana DiNatale discredited the defense argument that the images were accidently downloaded. She praised the work of computer forensic investigator Richard Falanga and State Trooper Sgt. Thomas Neff of the Essex District Attorney’s Computer Facilitated Crimes Unit as well as Swampscott Police Detective Ted Delano and Sgt. Timothy Cassidy for their hard work on this case.Murphy said he expects Surette to be sentenced in Lawrence Superior Court on April 23 at 2 p.m.