St. John’s man headed to trial on child pornography charge

A St. John’s man accused of distributing child pornography has been committed to stand trial.

Nathaniel Joseph Somerton’s preliminary inquiry began last May and took place over six days between then and Tuesday. A provincial court judge has ruled there is enough evidence to send Somerton to trial in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court.

Somerton, 35, is charged with a single count of distributing or selling child pornography between July 6 and July 23, 2016. He was arrested in January 2017 after a search warrant was executed on a residence as part of a six-month police investigation. He appeared in court the next day, and was released with conditions.

Somerton will be arraigned in the coming weeks.