Chateauguay resident Eric Rivard, 33, who was arrested last September at his Bonaventure street home, pled guilty on Jan. 5 to the most serious charges weighing against him in connection to child pornography.

The pedophile already was sentenced to 27 months in prison less the time during which he had been detained, for a total of 24 months that he will have to serve in a federal institution where therapy will be available to him.

Rivard will also be subjected to several conditions, such as not being found in a public place or having a job - where children under 16 are liable to be present - during the next 10 years. He will also have to register himself and provide annual updates to the sexual offenders' register for 20 years. Also, for a period of 10 years, he will not be able to have possession of a firearm.

He pled guilty to charges of production and distribution of child pornography, sexual touching of a person under 14 and inciting a minor to engage in sexual touching on the same day that his bail hearing was supposed to be held. The hearing was postponed on several occasions.

Rivard was arrested by the Sûreté du Québec after the SQ had been put on the right track by a police department from Ontario which had intercepted a chatting session Rivard had with another individual in which there was question of sexual contact with a little girl.