Judge hands down 11-year sentence to woman who lured teens into sex trade
27-year-old pleaded guilty to charges, expressed remorse during proceedings
Warning: this story contains details some readers may find disturbing.
Calling her conduct “abusive” and “extremely degrading,” an Edmonton judge on Wednesday sentenced a woman who lured two teenage girls into the sex trade to 11 years in prison.
In May, 27-year-old Louisa Wallis pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation, making child pornography and procuring a child for the sex trade, admitting she did so for her own sexual gratification and financial gain.
Wallis and her then-boyfriend were arrested in 2019 after an Edmonton Police Service human trafficking investigation.
They faced a total of 34 charges. Wallis cried as she learned her fate, via video link from a cell in the Edmonton Remand Centre.
“I want to make things right, by my crimes and mistakes,” she said through tears during a break in the proceedings, her forehead barely poking above the bottom of the video frame. “I hope that this guilty plea shows I'm trying to make amends, and I am very sorry for my actions.”
The girls Wallis victimized were 15 and 16, living on the street or in group homes and addicted to drugs.
An agreed statement of facts filed with Wallis's guilty plea says the boyfriend met the first victim in the summer of 2018.
In early 2019, he allegedly invited the 16-year-old to his apartment in Queen Mary Park and introduced the teen to Wallis. They gave the youth crystal meth and began to involve her in their sexual activity.
Wallis suggested the girl could make money working as an escort.
After a tip from a government social worker focused on at-risk youth, police discovered a total of 17 advertisements on the website Leolist featuring photos of both girls in sexual positions.
Police visited the Queen Mary Park apartment and seized Wallis's phone, which contained seven videos and 24 photos of child pornography involving Wallis, her boyfriend and both girls.
Crown prosecutors argued Wallis deserved 14 years in prison. Prosecutor Danielle Fostey said Wallis manipulated and violated two vulnerable girls.
“This was the sale of children for sex,” Fostey summarized.
Defence lawyer Brian Hurley argued for a six- to eight-year sentence, saying 14 years was excessive in light of his client's lack of prior criminal record and “horrendous childhood.”
A pre-sentence report found Wallis herself suffered physical and emotional abuse.
She grew up in a strict Jehovah's Witness household, which moved nearly 20 times during her formative years.
She has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and Asperger syndrome.
The report found almost all of Wallis's relationships were marked by domestic violence.
She has overdosed on multiple occasions and attempted suicide.
Court of Queen's Bench Justice John Henderson initially settled on a 13-year sentence, before considering the legal principle of “totality,” which says judges should take a final look at cases where consecutive sentences are imposed, to avoid a sentence that is “unduly long or harsh.”
Henderson gave Wallis credit for her guilty plea and expressions of remorse, but noted she continues to deflect blame for her actions onto her co-accused.
Henderson ultimately sentenced Wallis to six years for the procuring offence, one year for the child porn and four years for the sexual exploitation. She is also required to register for life under the Sex Offender Information Registration Act.
Procuring a child became a crime after the Supreme Court's 2013 Bedford decision struck down its predecessor, living on the avails of prostitution. It carries a minimum sentence of five years, which was found to be unconstitutional in Ontario. The minimum still stands in Alberta, and Henderson said Wallis is not disputing its constitutionality.
Wallis has been in jail for just over a year, which Henderson rounded up to 19 months with enhanced credit for time in pretrial custody. She has just under 91/2 years left to serve.
Michael Moffat, Wallis's co-accused, is scheduled to face a jury trial on eight charges next fall.