Only seven charges laid 9 months after police began child sex sting

Nine months after Vancouver police launched a child sex sting that caught 47 suspects, investigators have recommended charges against only seven of them.

“The entire process can take time, but we need to be meticulous and detail-oriented to ensure a successful conclusion to the investigation,” police spokesman, Const. Jason Doucette, said in an email.

“I am not aware of additional charges being approved at this time,” he said. “We are still working with Crown counsel and are anticipating additional charges.”

Police arrested the 47 men during the sting over nine days from June to November last year. The seven charged each face one count of obtaining the sexual services of a person under 18 after Vancouver police set up an online sting in which an officer posed as a girl between 15 and 17 years old to arrange a sex act for money with dozens of men.

Police announced the charges at the end of January. It has been nine months since the first of the stings and three months since the last.

“This investigation remains a priority for officers in the VPD’s counter-exploitation unit,” said Doucette. “Our detectives are continuing to process the information collected, including the ongoing analysis of items seized, in order to provide Crown counsel with the best evidence to secure criminal charges.”

In B.C., the B.C. Prosecution Service must approve charges recommended by police based on their likelihood of succeeding at trial, among other factors.

“It seems to me that’s a long time (between the arrests and charges being laid),” said SFU criminology Prof. Robert Gordon.

“I suspect they’re being very careful because if they don’t do it right the first time, it’s going to have repercussions for this kind of sting operation in the future.”

Police and Crown counsel want to ensure they gather enough evidence because securing convictions will serve as a deterrent to others considering obtaining sexual services from underage victims, he said.

The charge approval process could drag on for several months longer, he said.

The minimum sentence for obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under the age of 18 is six months in jail.