A teen girl has been found guilty of 27 charges stemming from allegedly beating, drugging and threatening other teen girls until they became part of a prostitution ring, as reported by CBC News from Ottawa, Canada.
In an Ottawa courtroom Justice Diane Lahaie took nearly two hours to go through each of the 27 criminal charges that had been filed against the unidentified 17 year-old defendant before delivering her verdict.
The teen was eventually found guilty on all 27 charges that included: procurement for the purpose of prostitution, human trafficking, making child pornography, sexual assault, child luring, uttering threats and unlawful confinement.
The defendant was acquitted of three charges: assault, unlawful confinement and inciting someone to take a stupefying drug; and two other charges were withdrawn.
According to reporters the court had to take a break as the teen had begun to sob and needed time to compose herself.
The story unfolded in June of 2012 when the teen, then 15, was arrested and accused of being the ringleader of the teenaged prostitution ring. At the outset of the trial, in April of 2013, she had pleaded not guilty.
Now, at aged 17, the Crown is seeking a psychiatric evaluation before handing down a sentence.
The mother of one of the victims – neither are identified to protect their identities – spoke to reporters about what she and her daughter have been through:
"My daughter is my hero, because anybody that's a victim of any sort that is brave enough to come up and tell their story in front of everyone is a hero, and she is my hero, and every one of those victims are my heroes…don't trust any kids out there. It's kind of sad, but make sure you know where your kids are. Make sure you know who your kids' friends are.... And if you have a gut feeling, follow it, because I've been living with that guilt for a while. It's over now, it's not my fault, I didn't do it, I couldn't protect my daughter. But she's going to survive, and by standing strong and saying what she said and telling her story, she is going to survive because of that.
Two teen girls, aged 13 and 17, testified at the trial. The explained how they were taken to johns, engaged in sexual acts and, afterwards, forced to turn over the money they were paid.
Other girls in the ring included a 15 year-old who pleaded guilty to three counts of human trafficking involving three girls, one count of making child pornography, one count of luring and one count of robbery. Now, at aged 17, she has been sentenced to three years behind bars.
A 16 year-old girl pleaded guilty to one count of each human trafficking, robbery, uttering threats and breaching conditions. She is also now undergoing psychological testing prior to her sentencing.
Whatever crime you have been accused of committing contact a criminal defense lawyer to best serve your needs. A good defense begins with a good defense lawyer.
