Teen prostitution trial: 3-year sentence recommended

Crown and defence lawyers have jointly recommended the maximum three-year sentence for a 16-year-old girl who pleaded guilty to running a prostitution ring.

Compromise between lawyers means teen would serve only 60 days in open custody

CBC News Posted: Dec 20, 2013 12:53 PM EST | Last Updated: December 20, 2013

Crown and defence lawyers have jointly recommended the maximum three-year sentence under the Youth Criminal Justice Act for a 16-year-old girl who pleaded guilty to running a prostitution ring.

The girl was arrested last year in September and pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including child pornography and recruiting for the purpose of prostitution.

She, along with two otherteenagedgirls, were accused of luring teen girls to a south Ottawa home using social media, where they would allegedly be forced to perform sexual acts for men.

The court heard there were as many as nine alleged victims, ages 13 to 17.

On Friday, at the girl's sentencing hearing, the Crown and defence recommended the maximum sentence. The teen has already served 18 months and would receive time-and-a-half credit for that time, meaning she would serve an additional nine months.

However the lawyers reached a compromise that would see the teen serve only 60 days in open custody, where the teen would slowly be reintroduced back into society. She would also be under the conditions of a peace bond for a year.

In her statement to the court read by her lawyer, the teen apologized,writing what she did was a "horrific act of selfishness and bullying."

Trial judge Diane Lahaiereserved the decision on the sentencing until January 20.

Multiple alleged victims appeared in an Ottawa courtroom Friday to talk about how their lives have been affected.

This blurred-out photo of one of the accused was taken from an account on the photo-sharing site Instagram. The account has the same name as a Facebook and Twitter account entered as evidence in court. (Instagram)

One, who was 13 at the time of the alleged incident, said she's had to move away and live with her grandmother in another city out of fear after she was forced to have sex with a john.

She said in her victim impact statement she's lost all her friends, has built walls around herself and has nightmares about the incident.

A detective read the victim impact statement of another girl, who said she thinks of suicide and feels like less of a person.

Another of the co-accused, who is now 18, will be sentenced on Jan. 17. She alsopleadedguilty on the same day in September.

A verdict is expected in the 16-year-old alleged ringleader's trial on 33 charges, including trafficking and sexual assault, on Jan29.

She has pleaded not guilty.

The triowere arrested in June of 2012.

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Teen prostitution trial: 3-year sentence recommended

Compromise between lawyers means teen would serve only 60 days in open custody

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