A Concord man was arrested yesterday and charged multiple counts of possession of child pornography after a lengthy investigation by Concord Police and its Computer Crimes Unit.

Stephen Bourne, 52, of Concord, was arrested on June 20, and charged with possession of child sexual abuse images, eight counts, all felonies.

According to Lt. Timothy O’Malley of the Concord Police Department, the case began in 2011 after Bourne was arrested and charged with aggravated felonious sexual assault, allegedly against a juvenile. Police issued a search warrant and confiscated Bourne’s computer, searched it, and allegedly found evidence of the charge.

O’Malley said that while child pornography and sexual assault charges against children are rare in Concord, they do happen, and most of the are from people that are known to the victim.

“There is a distinction between the known and complete stranger sexual assault, with the known being much more prevalent,” he said. “We don’t see many of the walking-down-the-street attacks in Concord, fortunately.”

The known assailant crimes tend to come from family members, people at schools, members of churches, or other connections to the child and/or family. Recent cases have included children who were involved in a soccer camp, a local church, and family members, he noted. Often, O’Malley said, children will disclose the crimes to teachers, friends, or agencies, like the NH Division for Children, Youth and Families. The police will then begin a joint investigation after hearing the disclosures and will often ask if pictures of the children have been taken, he said. They will then get search warrants, and search computers and other devices, looking for images.

O’Malley said the best defense though was parents knowing what their kids were doing at all times.

“You need to know what your kids are doing on the computer, who they are talking to and what their activity is,” he said, as well as, “what they are doing and who they are doing it with … know what your kids are doing and be involved in their lives.

Bourne refused bail after being arrested and will be arraigned in Sixth Circuit District Division on June 21.