MONTREAL – It was only when Bill Surkis sent his computer to a repair shop to check for a virus that police were notified of suspicious videos on his hard drive. Based on that evidence, the former regional director of B’nai Brith in Quebec was charged Friday with two counts relating to the possession and accessing of child pornography between July and November, 2008.
Surkis, 69, who was also the academic dean of John Abbott College for 22 years, and the executive director of the Holocaust Memorial Centre, spent the night in jail before being released with a long list of conditions Friday afternoon.
He is forbidden from being in the presence of minors or in any park or playground where minors congregate. It was not clear whether this condition also applies to his own grandchildren.
He is forbidden from using his computer or any other equipment to access the Internet except for work purposes, and he is barred from going to Internet cafés.
Surkis has been working recently as a political consultant.
And he was ordered to give up his passport and remain in Quebec unless given written permission by the prosecutor.
Surkis’s lawyer, Steven Slimovitch, said his client was very upset by the charges.
“He understands how serious the accusation is,” Slimovitch said. “We will not make light of this.”
If found guilty, Surkis will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 14 days and a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
That said, Slimovitch pointed out that Surkis has no prior accusations or history of using child pornography. And althoug the videos were found on his computer, Slimovitch said, his client is not accused of making, selling or trafficking the videos.
Slimovitch, who is also National Legal Counsel for B’nai Brith Canada, said the news will likely come as a shock to the Jewish community.
“He’s a community leader,” he said. “I assume everyone will take a step back and look at this seriously.”