TORONTO - Police say a York University researcher who was among 57 men charged in connection with an international child pornography network has committed suicide.
York University spokesman Alex Bilyk says Richard Dyde died Thursday at age 47 -- a day after his arrest was made public.
Dyde had been on leave from his job as a researcher at the Toronto university since his arrest on charges of making, possessing and making child pornography available.
Police have said hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of child pornography images were traded by the network in Canada, the United States and Europe.
Born in England, Dyde came to Canada in 2001 and was part of a research team designing experiments for NASA to explore the effect of zero gravity on astronauts in space.
Dyde also authored a biography about British inventor George Cayley called "The Man Who Discovered Flight: George Cayley and the First Airplane."
Dyde's brother and father both served as Royal Air Force pilots. Dyde also worked as a systems analyst at the British Library in England for several years. He later completed a PhD in the field of cognitive neuroscience.
The probe into the child pornography network began more than a year ago in Conception Bay South, N.L., when authorities found Anglican priest Robin Barrett trading child abuse images and videos online.
Barrett, 51, was convicted of possession and distribution of child pornography and received a 2 1/2-year sentence in September.
Police said 25 children victimized by the network were rescued, including a dozen in Canada, during the yearlong investigation known as Project Sanctuary.
Those arrested included 25 Canadians, 26 Americans and six Europeans. Together, the 57 men faced 218 charges.
