A former Alberta RCMP officer has been found not guilty of child luring charges in a case that hinged on a private citizen's attempt to trap him on the social media platform Reddit.
Judge Cites Reasonable Doubt in Online Communications
Court of King’s Bench Justice Grant Dunlop delivered the acquittal on Friday, January 16, 2026. Evan Peacock, 34, was cleared of all four counts against him, which included child luring, making sexually explicit material available to a child, and breaching release conditions.
The judge ruled he was left with a reasonable doubt about whether Peacock genuinely believed he was communicating with an underage person. This doubt stemmed from the nature of the online interactions, which began as an adult role-play scenario.
The Reddit "Sting" and "Age Play" Community
The trial centered on Peacock's communications with a 31-year-old woman he met on Reddit in June 2024. The court heard that the woman was part of the "consensual non-consent" (CNC) community on the platform, where participants engage in sexual fantasies involving pretended non-consent.
According to testimony, the initial contact involved role-play between two adults. The woman testified she has a practice of asking potential partners about "age play," a fantasy where one partner pretends to be underage. She stated she uses this to identify unsafe individuals.
After their initial exchange, the woman later messaged Peacock from a different account, this time claiming to be 15 years old. This prompted her to report the communications to police, leading to Peacock's arrest two months after his initial charges.
Separate Charges and Ongoing Custody
Despite the acquittal in this case, Evan Peacock remains in custody. He faces a separate, upcoming trial on child pornography charges laid by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) in April 2024. He has been in pre-trial detention for over a year and a half.
Peacock served with the Mounties for only three years. His defence lawyer, Shawn King, argued that his client's intent was to form a relationship with an adult for fantasy role-play and that he believed both Reddit users were adults.
The identity of the female complainant is protected by a publication ban. Peacock appeared in court silently, wearing remand centre coveralls, for the verdict.
