Closing submissions heard at intimidation trial of former ‘Creeper Hunter TV' creator

CTV News

a day ago

Jason Nassr covers his face while leaving a London, Ont. courthouse after hearing sentencing submissions and victim impact statements on July 19, 2023. (Jenn Basa/CTV News London)
Jason Nassr sat next to his lawyer wearing a medical mask and taking notes as closing submissions at his intimidation trial got underway on Tuesday morning.
In January 2023, the 44-year-old, who created 'Creeper Hunter TV', a website he claimed was intended to catch predators, was on trial and eventually convicted of harassment, extortion, and producing child pornography. All counts are now under appeal.
It was at that trial that Nassr would be charged with intimidating a justice participant when during a heated exchange under cross-examination, he told the court he knew the name of the Crown Attorney's young child.
Nassr was upset at the time because the Crown, in that case, was suggesting that he operated 'Creeper Hunter TV' for his own sexual gratification.
In his closing at the intimidation trial, Crown Attorney Thomas Mack said Nassr was seething at the time he said the child's name, saying, 'The only reason he made those comments at the time is with the intention of causing fear (in the Crown) to impede him during cross-examination.'
Mack said he should be found guilty because people know that Nassr is proficient online.
'He (Nassr) is adept at locating targets and he's able to intrude digitally into people's lives and he's one who went to significant lengths to extort, harass, and shame his targets,' Mack said.
Later, defence lawyer Ingrid Grant told the court the Crown hasn't proven its case because Nassr did not provoke fear or impede his earlier trial. She said that Justice Alissa Mitchell cut Nassr off and didn't let him complete his sentence after he mentioned the child's name.
'Mr. Nassr gets angry... He's speaking off the cuff while he's upset,' Grant said.
Justice James Stribopoulos is expected to hand down his decision on this latest case on Wednesday.