Innisfil man pleads guilty to multiple sex crimes involving young girls

Warning: Content in this article may be disturbing to readers.

Child predator Curtis Gamble pleaded guilty to about a dozen counts of sex crimes involving five girls between the ages of 12 and 14.

The court heard that the Innisfil man was 19 in early 2022 when he met, befriended, and then lured the underage girls through social media apps, including Snapchat, Instagram and Discord.

Police said he used the name emptygoatdemon on several apps and X-Box Live.

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Gamble was arrested in April 2022 and then released on $20,000 bail to his parents, who acted as sureties.

While out on bail and living with his mother in Innisfil, Gamble was arrested again months later.

He sat in the prisoner's box, appearing to smirk while pleading guilty to the crimes that also included breaching release orders and making and distributing child pornography.

The horrifying details read in court described his predatory behaviour. The Crown read the Agreed Statement of Facts detailing the lengths Gamble went to meet the girls he knew were underage and in Grades 7 and 8.

He'd often ask them when they finished school and whether they wanted to be picked up.

The court heard his behaviour became obsessive and threatening. He insisted on meeting and controlling his victims for the purpose of having sex with them.

Police seized his two phones. He was found to have 22 unique images of child pornography in his possession.

The court heard Gamble took videos, pictures and screenshots of his underage victims while performing sexual acts.

One victim, the court heard, was a 14-year-old girl who rode her bike to Gamble's Innisfil home. He told the girl he was 16 when, in fact, he was 20. Gamble then had unprotected sex with the girl twice.

He later told her she "was the prettiest girl he had ever seen."

After seeing his picture in a news release from police, the young girl came forward to investigators.

As part of his release order, Gamble was prohibited from talking to or being with girls under the age of 16. He was also found guilty of breaching orders that prohibited him from accessing the internet.

Gamble's mother, the only family member supporting her son Tuesday afternoon, left the courthouse in tears.

Gamble is scheduled to be back in court in May for a sentencing hearing when it's anticipated he will hear directly from his victims, whom the Crown said wanted closure.