Apr 21, 2009 - 02:36 PM

By Jeff Mitchell

WHITBY -- A judge has begun the task of viewing hours of videos, seized from the home of an admitted sex offender, that depict the sexual abuse of several children.

Ontario Court Justice Paul Bellefontaine is presiding over the trial of Michael Ross Stratton, who pleaded guilty Monday to 13 charges including sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and child pornography. He has admitted to molesting seven girls, one as young as six, over 14 years in or near his home in Whitby.

The Crown intends to apply to have Mr. Stratton declared a dangerous offender, a move that, if successful, would see him jailed indefinitely.

In an agreed statement of facts read into the record Monday at the Whitby courthouse, prosecutor Kent Saliwonchyk said police, acting on information provided by a distraught young woman, searched Mr. Stratton's home in June of 2006 and seized approximately 60 digital videotapes that include hours of footage of Mr. Stratton engaged in sex acts, including intercourse, with young girls.

In interviews with investigators, some of the victims recalled Mr. Stratton as a "cool" individual who lavished attention on young people, inviting them to outings at Canada's Wonderland and supplying them with booze, cigarettes and marijuana, Mr. Saliwonchyk said.

"We thought it was cool that he would buy us alcohol and cigarettes," Mr. Saliwonchyk quoted one victim, who was 10 when she was molested by Mr. Stratton, as telling police.

"He would buy us McDonald's and all sorts of good things so I kept going back," the victim told police. "I didn't know any better as I was only about 10 years old at the time."

Another victim who was subjected to abuse that escalated to multiple incidents of intercourse told police she believed Mr. Stratton was a "good person" despite his attacks on her.

"It was supposed to stop after the next birthday or New Year's and so on," Mr. Saliwonchyk told the court, "but it didn't."

Although he has entered a guilty plea, Mr. Stratton has indicated through his lawyer, Alan Risen, that he disputes some allegations of sexual assault made by a complainant who met him when she was 17 and moved into his Rosedale Drive home. Mr. Stratton contends their sexual encounters, which included "rough stuff," were consensual, Mr. Risen said.

Tuesday, Mr. Saliwonchyk showed the judge samples of still images of Internet child pornography seized at Mr. Stratton's residence, as well as downloaded video clips depicting child abuse. Justice Bellefontaine also began viewing some of the eight hours of video depicting Mr. Stratton in sexual situations with children.

The heavy-set Mr. Stratton, 41, his hands and legs shackled and a long ponytail spilling down his back, sat hunched in the prisoner's dock, staring and occasionally squinting at a monitor placed near his feet, out of sight of spectators, as samples of the images and videos were played. Justice Bellefontaine has ruled that the public and the media will not see the images, but will be allowed to hear audio from the tapes.

The ruling is similar to one imposed during the trial of notorious sex killer Paul Bernardo in the mid 90s.