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New York freelance journalist Elizabeth Daley talks with defence lawyer Bob Buckingham (left) and Kenneth Harrison, facing child pornography charges, Monday prior to the start of proceedings in Harrison’s trial at provincial court in St. John’s.

But what’s inside the four-feet tall, thin, taped-up package is at the heart of a notable child-pornography case in provincial court in St. John’s.

When it was brought into the courtroom Monday for the resumption of Kenneth Harrison’s trial, it wasn’t opened and had been re-sealed with tape.

Police say it contains a child-like sex doll, which Harrison reportedly tried to have mailed to him from across the world.

Whether or not it will be shown in open court remains to be seen, as the Crown prosecution is expected to argue against showing it to the public.

Harrison, 51, is being tried on four charges, including two criminal counts of possessing child pornography and mailing obscene matter. He also faces two charges of smuggling and possession of prohibited goods contrary to sections 159 and 155 of the Customs Act, which were laid by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Harrison was arrested in relation to a child-pornography investigation that began four years ago.

On Jan. 30, 2013, CBSA officers at the International Mail Centre in Toronto intercepted a package that was found to contain suspected child pornography.

On March 12, 2013, members of the RNC criminal investigation division and the CBSA’s criminal investigations division searched a home in St. John’s and took Harrison into custody. He was released shortly after on strict conditions.

When the trial resumed Monday after almost a yearlong delay due to applications and other issues, Ben Hall of the CBSA continued with his testimony.

Hall explained that after discovering the doll, the centre in Toronto forwarded it to his office in St. John’s. He contacted the RNC, which had its child-exploitation unit investigate.

At that point, the federal Crown prosecutor, who is handling the case with provincial prosecutor Natalie Payne, asked that the box containing the doll be brought into the courtroom.

The shipping label on the outside of the box indicates it originally came from Harumi Designs in Kanagawa, Japan. The box is labelled, “Foam Rubber dummy for massage purposes.”

Proceedings were interrupted when Payne asked Judge Mark Pike to exclude the public from viewing the doll, due to the sensitive nature and given the fact it could potentially be child pornography.

Pike said that could pose an issue, as courts are viewed to be open to the public.

The topic will be discussed when the trial resumes today.

Meanwhile, the case poses such an interesting topic, it caught the attention of New York freelance journalist Elizabeth Daley, who was in the courtroom Monday to cover the case for a U.S. media agency.

“I’m interested because it brings out some issues in terms of the limitations placed on freedom of expression, which is something we are very interested in in the United States,” Daley said.

“We have a first-amendment right to free speech and that includes freedom of expression, which could be limited to representations that could be considered art.

“So, there are a lot of questions, since Mr. Harrison did not spend any time with this doll. I think there are interesting questions from an international perspective.”

Daley said Harrison wouldn’t even be going to trial if he lived in the United States, since there was no actual child harmed.

However, she believes that in this age where everything is accessible on the Internet in such a global marketplace, this case brings to light the need to understand laws as an international community, “not just laws based upon our particular country.”