London police arrest man in human trafficking crackdown

EmilyRushton · January 29, 2014

As part of a country-wide police blitz meant to crack down on the human trafficking of women, London police arrested a York man last week, charged with several offences.

Police also interviewed seven young women in city hotels and motels during the two-day operation, dubbed Operation Northern Spotlight, but did not make any further arrests.

During the blitz, officers from 26 police forces searched hotels and motels -- interviewing 330 young women, some as young as 15, in effort to find evidence they were being trafficked police said.

Officers say they found some were being forced to perform sexual acts, multiple times a day, for paying male customers.

London police found the York man with an 18 year old woman and said officers were certain her participation was "forced," but she did not co-operate with police.

The man is charged with several offences including living off the avails of prostitution, procuring someone to have illicit sexual intercourse, threats and sexual assault.

It's been more than six months since police laid their first ever human trafficking charges. In July, Steven McDonald, 36, and Kristen MacLean, 31, were arrested on charges, including trafficking in persons, receiving a financial benefit from the offence, procuring illicit sexual intercourse, exercising control of a person for prostitution and living off the avails of prostitution.

McDonald also is charged with two counts of sexual assault and giving an intoxicating substance to a person for sex.

They are both still in police custody and their next court appearance is Friday. At the time, police didn't provide information about the victim, but a source said it is an adult female.

Police have been running a pilot project to investigate human trafficking since last June, and like forces across Canada, are determined to start helping victims and arrest pimps using human trafficking laws toughened in 2005.

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

Recruiting, transporting, receiving, holding, concealing, harbouring a person, or controlling, directing them in order to exploit them.

* Life sentence if victim suffers aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault or death.

http://www.lfpress.com/2014/01/28/london-police-charge-york-man-with-sex-offences