Fourth person arrested in sex trade case
Police say latest suspect had forced girl, 17, into performing acts for men answering web ad
A fourth person has been charged with human trafficking charges after a Toronto police investigation found a 17-year-old girl was drugged, assaulted and forced into the sex trade late last year.
In a press release on Tuesday, police said a total of three men and one woman have been arrested and charged since January.
Police said the case began after a 17-year-old girl met two men near Yonge-Dundas Square on Dec. 30, 2018.
Police said the two men befriended the girl and gave her drugs and alcohol before taking her to an address in Hamilton where they sexually assaulted her.
While there, the girl was also sexually assaulted by a third man, police said.
Police said the girl was then introduced to a woman and forced into the sex trade.
According to the news release, photographs were taken of the girl in various stages of undress and posted on the website leolist.com to advertise her sexual services.
The popular classifieds site has been linked to earlier human trafficking cases in the GTA.
Police said the first man controlled all communications with “customers” through text messages and phone calls, and the girl was told which sexual services to provide. That man made the girl provide sexual services to several clients who came to the address, as well as to himself, and collected all the money, police said.
Over four days, the girl was forced to ingest drugs and was deprived of food, sleep and was physically assaulted, police said.
Police say they were contacted by the girl on Jan 3, when she managed to escape. They are concerned there may be more victims affected and individuals are encouraging to speak all with investigators. On Nov. 18, police arrested Troy Thornhill, 37, of Toronto, with the assistance of police in Sudbury. Police identified him as the first man” in the case. He is charged with sexual assault, trafficking in persons under 18 nancial years by and recruiting, material taking benefit fifrom trafficking persons under 18 years, taking material benefit from sexual services provided by persons under18 years, making child pornography, posses-sion of child pornography, assault, procuring person under 18 years, and advertising another Old lice forcement rested address, Thornhill Members Charlton person’s City Human three Hall was Sealy, Team sexual appeared of others on Trafficking the arrested Nov. 35, previously services. Toronto in of in 19. the no court case. fixed and En- po- ar- at charged tified in sexual the him case. assault, on as Jan. He the is 30. trafficking “second charged Police man” iden- with in persons cruiting under control, 18 taking years by finan- recial ficking and persons material under benefit 18 years, traftaking material benefit from sexual services provided by a person under 18 years, making child pornography, possession of a Schedule I substance, possession of child pornography, -assault and advertising another person’s sexual services. Shabaka Reid, 36, of Hamilton, was also charged on Jan. 30. Police identified him as the “third man” in the case. He is charged with sexual assault, trafficking in persons under 18 years by recruiting, making child pornography, taking financial and material benefit from recruiting a person under 18 years, possession of a Schedule I substance and possession of child pornography. On Feb. 15, police arrested Deanna Passera, 27, of no fixed address, and charged her with trafficking in persons under 18 years, publishing child pornography, possessing child pornography, making child pornography, procuring a person under 18 years, procuring/exercising control and advertising another person’s sexual servic-es Passera appeared in court on Feb. 16 at Old City Hall.