Windsor pimp forced teenaged girl into prostitution

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The Windsor Star
Apr 03, 2015 - 5:41 PM EDT
Last Updated: Apr 03, 2015 - 10:08 PM EDT

Robert Joseph Cobb is a pimp.

In 2013, he enticed a 16-year-old runaway to become a prostitute. He told her it was â??easy money,â? and that she could stop at any time.

He lied.

Cobb, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday to making money from human trafficking. As part of the plea bargain, charges of human trafficking, assault, forcible confinement and extortion will be withdrawn.

In February 2013, Cobb met a young ward of the Childrenâ??s Aid Society. The girl was a â??habitual runaway,â? without a family on which to rely, assistant Crown attorney Kim Bertholet told the court.

The girl became infatuated with Cobb. While he was already in a relationship with the mother of one of his children, he led the girl on. One day in May, he told the girl to meet him at a McDonaldâ??s. There, court heard, he used her laptop to introduce her to a prostitution website called backpages.com.

He convinced her it wouldnâ??t be hard to have sex for money. She agreed to try it. Cobb created an ad, using a false picture and a false name. He decided what sexual services the girl would perform and the rates â?? oral sex, vaginal sex, anal sex and sex without a condom.

A couple days into her new profession, the girl wanted out.

Cobb at first played on the girlâ??s emotions, telling her he wanted to have a life with her. She only had to turn a few more tricks, until they had enough money to afford an apartment of their own. Later, he resorted to threats, then violence.

Cobb was new to the pimping game, but he knew enough to take precautions. He never allowed the girl to leave home alone. Cobb and the girl lived with Cobbâ??s father on Dougall Avenue. Cobb wasnâ??t using the money the girl made to pay the rent. They were eventually evicted.

They lived in seedy hotels the girl was never allowed to leave. The rooms were paid for with her earnings. Immediately after each trick, the girl was made to turn over her earnings to one of Cobbâ??s three friends. The friends, who also made a cut, would then deliver the cash to Cobb. â??That was to insulate him in case they got caught,â? Bertholet said.

The girl estimated she slept with 90 men in the ensuing two months. She earned about $31,000, but was not allowed to keep a dime. Cobb got a car out of the deal. The girl, meanwhile, was barely fed. The girl, malnourished and injured, was rescued in July 2013 after she made contact with a former boyfriend who called police.

Cobb was charged along with Cody Last, 21. Last pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced last year to 43 days in jail on top of the 47 days heâ??d already spent behind bars. Bertholet said Last is a more sympathetic character. He didnâ??t lure the girl into prostitution, nor did he ever use violence on her. And, at least, he would buy the girl food from time to time.

Cobb is pleading guilty much later. His show of remorse comes after a preliminary hearing at which he was ordered to stand trial. His victim was made to testify at that preliminary hearing.

The girl â?? now 18, with a tiny frame and long, brown hair â?? read a victim-impact statement in court Thursday. Her brief statement demonstrated competing sentiments of betrayal and guilt.

The girl said Cobbâ??s friends and family replaced the people missing in her own life. â??I felt like these people were all I had,â? she said. Her loyalty to Cobb was still evident, she said. â??I feel (he) hates me for telling the truth.â?

The girl came into the courtroom flanked with support workers. In her statement, the girl said she had met â??wonderfulâ? people since Cobbâ??s arrest. â??It helped me realize I deserve so much better.â?

Her identity is protected by a publication ban.

Cobb has five prior convictions â?? three for assault. He spent a month in jail before being released on bail, then was rearrested last June for vandalizing a car. Defence lawyer Matthew Longay asked Superior Court Justice Kirk Munroe to give Cobb enhanced credit of 412 days for the time he has already spent behind bars, for a total sentence of 12 to 15 months. The Crown is seeking four years. Cobbâ??s sentencing hearing continues next week.