Accused pimp says girls were willing sex partners
Reza Moazami tells court sex was consensual with prostitutes he believed to be older than 18
Accused pimp Reza Moazami has denied raping the underage prostitutes he worked with, claiming the sex was consensual and he believed them all to be older than 18.
Moazami, 29, also told B. C. Supreme Court on Friday that the young women were not intoxicated during the numerous sexual encounters. He testified that while they may have voluntarily taken date- rape drug GHB or smoked OxyContin, he remembers that they could walk a straight line and were not slurring their words.
He said that each of the girls had told him they were either 18 or 19 years old at the time of the alleged assaults.
Moazami is accused of luring girls as young as 14 into a prostitution ring operated out of downtown Vancouver apartments and hotels across B. C. and Alberta. He faces 36 criminal charges, including human trafficking, trafficking in underage girls, sexual assault, and living on the avails of prostitution.
He has consistently testified that the girls “worked with” him and corrected defence lawyer Karen Bastow Friday when she asked a question phrased to suggest they “worked for” him.
He claimed he simply provided them with locations to have their “dates,” and that they were free to cut ties at any time.
“They’re booking however many calls as they wanted, however few calls as they wanted,” he said.
The young women who have testified against Moazami allege he used a variety of methods to keep them under his control, including violence, drugs and threats against their pet dogs. One girl alleged he dangled her by her ankles from a highrise balcony while another claimed he attacked her with bear spray.
Moazami has denied all of the allegations. Testimony is scheduled to continue Monday morning.