Teen pimp apologizes to her victims in Ottawa courtroom

An Ottawa teenage girl made a tearfulapologyin court to the girls she drugged, beat and forced into prostitution.

• Victims of teen pimp ring tell court they live in fear
• Teen pimp ringleader hearing details troubled youth

"No words could ever convey howsolemnlysorry I am. I am far from perfect but I'mdefinitelynot the same girl I was at 15," she said.

The teenwas 15 when she was arrested in 2012 for leading a human trafficking operationwith two other teens. She is now 18.

"I realize the pain I inflicted on my victims and their families was extremely wrong and I will forever live with the guilt and regret of my vile actions ... I pray, YourHonour, take a youth sentence into consideration because unlike before I have aspirations for my future and I'm striving to becomea better person."

The teen whose mother has worked as a prostitute and who lived in a home surrounded by drug use is not a victimbut a "product of her upbringing," her lawyer argued in court.

She was found guiltyof beating, drugging and threatening other girls to force them into prostitution in January. Two other teens entered mid-trial guilty pleas inSeptember 2013 fortheir roles in the violent pimping operation.

Crown wants adult sentence for teen pimp

The Crown argued the ringleader, now 18, should be sentenced as an adult for her crimes, which carrya mandatory minimum sentence of fiveyears. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the teen would serve a maximum three-year sentence.

But defence lawyer Joshua Clarke argued Monday that if rehabilitation is the goal,"what is the point of putting her with life-long criminals."

The defence argued she should serve a three-year sentence in the youth system, but that she should not receive credit for time already served since her arrest.

The defenceargued she is not the same teenager thatshe was at the time of her arrest. After only attending school 15 days in her Grade 9 year, she has achieved excellent grades during her time in custody and has almost completed enough courses for her high school diploma, the defence said.

Justice Diane Lahaie is expected to deliver her sentence on November 4.

Court hears of teen's troubling youth

The trial, which began in April 2013, heard from three teenage girls who were forced to perform sex acts and hand over the money they earned. One of those girls was 13 years old when she was delivered to a john during what she thought was a sleepover with friends.

Four other teens testified about a range of experiences, including being recruited online to sell their bodies. One teendescribed how the ringleader took nude photos of her with a cellphone whenshe was too drunk to move in a bathtub.

During the ringleader'ssentencing hearing, court heard of hertroubling youth, including a history of aggression and bullyingat an early age.

Dr. Gregory Motayne,a specialist in youth violence, detailed his findings of apsychological assessment.

He said the teen hasphysically bullied children since Grade 1, and that by Grade 6, one of her victims had contemplated suicide.

He also detailed how at eight years old, she and her nine-year-old sister allegedly held down a five-year-old boy and made sexual contact.

He said substance abuse affected how the teen treated her victims. She began drinking alcohol at 12 and smoking marijuana at 14, he said.