Latest news with #childluring
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Hay River, N.W.T., man facing sex-related charges testifies at trial
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it. A Hay River, N.W.T., man facing sex charges testified in his own defence in a Yellowknife courtroom on Wednesday. Justin Minute, 39, has pleaded not guilty to child luring, voyeurism and sexual assault. The trial before N.W.T Supreme Court Justice Karin L.E Taylor was in its third day. Minute told the court that he was "blown away by the accusations" made against him by the complainant in the case, and said he didn't know what was behind them. Earlier this week, the complainant, who was underage at time of the alleged incidents in 2018 and 2019, testified that she saw Minute's phone in a bathroom, pointed at the shower. She said he also made sexual jokes and touched her around her waist inappropriately. Her identity is protected by a publication ban. Minute told the court on Wednesday that he once accidentally forgot his phone in a bathroom, then used his watch's camera button to see where the phone was. He said he saw the shower on his watch, but no one was there. He said he never spied on the complainant. The accusations first came to light in February 2020 to the Hay River RCMP. The court heard that the police didn't recover any of the alleged bathroom recordings on Minute's phone or watch. Two of Minute's former partners also testified this week. They both told the court that Minute confessed to them that he did all of the things he's accused of. Some text messages and transcripts of phone recordings from Minute to his former partners were also read out in court. In one, Minute says he "should be in jail," and in another he says, "I feel like a bad person for the things I have done." In court Wednesday, Minute said there was a lot of miscommunication, and that he never confessed to any of the allegations. He agreed that some of the messages seemed like admissions of guilt, but he claimed he was frustrated at the time, and emotionally overwhelmed by the shame of being accused. He said his words did not come out as clearly as he intended at the time and that he had a hard time articulating his thoughts. "[She] confused shame with guilt," Minute said, referring to one of his ex-partners. In his cross examination, Crown prosecutor Morgan Fane said that a lot of Minute's testimony involved him saying he was misinterpreted, while the evidence sounded like a confession. Minute told the court the charges have affected him professionally and personally. He said he was employed as a case worker at the Hay River jail, and after he was charged he was reassigned. Minute said the charges have also affected his mental health, and that he had attempted suicide twice. Minute was the last witness to testify at the trial. Lawyers for both sides will give their closing arguments Thursday.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Trial begins for a Hay River, N.W.T., man facing sex-related charges
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it. A trial began Monday in a Yellowknife courtroom for a Hay River, N.W.T., man facing several sex-related charges. 39-year-old Justin Minute is accused of voyeurism, sexual assault, and child luring. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The charges are related to incidents that allegedly happened in Hay River and Fort Smith in 2018 and 2019. In February 2023, the RCMP arrested and charged Minute. According to court records, Minute had also been charged with voyeurism in January 2020, but that charge was later dropped. At the time of the alleged offences, Minute was working as a case manager at the South Mackenzie Correctional Centre in Hay River. There is no suggestion that the allegations are connected to his work. The charges are related to one alleged victim, who was the first person to testify at the judge-only trial. The woman's identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban. The complainant told the court about an incident where she found Minute's phone in a bathroom, pointed at the toilet and with the camera application open. She also described other alleged incidents of inappropriate touching, sexual jokes, and text messages by Minute which had pictures of her. A teenager at the time, she said the incidents made her feel uncomfortable around Minute. She first brought the allegations to the Hay River RCMP in February 2020, and again in September 2022. Minute was arrested in 2023. During cross examination in N.W.T. Supreme Court on Monday, Minute's lawyer Evan McIntyre noted how many times Minute's accuser began her testimony with "I think," and implied it would be difficult to remember details from years ago. McIntyre also pointed out that when the complainant spoke to the RCMP, she said she did not think the phone camera in the bathroom was recording. McIntyre added that the complainant's first statement to police in 2020 only mentioned the bathroom allegation, and not any other inappropriate incidents. Her 2022 statement to police included more details about the other alleged incidents. The complainant told the court on Monday that she wasn't sure at first whether certain behaviours would have counted as inappropriate, and that's why she didn't mention them until her later statement to police. The trial continues Tuesday.
CTV News
28-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
B.C. man who lured ‘vulnerable student' has community sentence upgraded to jail
The B.C. Supreme Court is seen in New Westminster, B.C., Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Richard Lam) A school support worker who sent sexually explicit messages to a 15-year-old student should serve his sentence behind bars, not in the community, a B.C. judge has ruled. Gulbag Singh Hothi pleaded guilty to child luring last year and was initially handed a conditional sentence, which was appealed by Crown prosecutors. In a decision published online this month, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Andrea Ormiston agreed that allowing Hothi to serve a community sentence was 'demonstrably unfit' given the circumstances of his crime. 'He had worked with vulnerable youth for years and would have recognized he was in a position of trust, responsibility, and power,' Ormiston said, in her April 25 reasons. 'He persisted in reprehensible efforts to orchestrate a contact-sexual-offence despite the victim rebuffing his advances and reminding him of her age.' 'Highly sexualized messages' The court heard the victim was a 'vulnerable student' attending an alternative school for youths at risk of dropping out when she met Hothi in early 2023. He was 27 years old at the time. Hothi was completing his practicum for the Child and Youth Care Program at Douglas College, and was acting in the role of the victim's support worker. The two started messaging on SnapChat during the final week of his practicum. 'Shortly after this communication began, the respondent started sending the victim highly sexualized messages ranging from comments about her appearance to crude indications that he wanted to engage in sexual conduct,' Ormiston said. Hothi also invited the victim for 'dinner and drinks' at his home, which she rejected by reminding him she was just 15. The messaging continued after Hothi's practicum ended, and he eventually sent the victim an image of female genitalia that he claimed had come from another teenager who wanted to have sex with him. The court heard the victim missed several days of school, fearing another encounter with Hothi, before eventually going to police. Errors in original judgment Prosecutors argued the trial judge made a number of errors while determining Hothi's sentence, and Ormiston agreed, finding the issues were 'palpable and overriding.' Those errors included the way Hothi's position of authority was assessed as an aggravating factor. While the trial judge accepted there was an 'aspect of breach of trust' in the case, the sentencing decision suggested it was diminished because Hothi was not the victim's teacher. 'I cannot discern a logical reason to find, from the perspective of the victim, that there would have been any difference between a teacher and an educational assistant when it comes to the exploitative nature of the crime and the increased accessibility the respondent had to her in a place where she should have felt safe,' Ormiston found. The Crown also took issue with the trial judge's finding that the impact of Hothi's crime on the victim did not 'appear' to be long-lasting. 'Sexual offences against children cause significant harm that may take many years to manifest,' Ormiston wrote. 'The basis on which the court appears to distinguish the impact on this victim is not developed or supported by the record.' A number of mitigating factors were considered as well, including that Hothi was a first-time offender, had pleaded guilty, and sought conselling following his arrest. Ormiston found the length of Hothi's sentence was appropriate and gave him credit for the 7.5 months already served in the community, but ordered that he spend the remainder of his time behind bars. Jail time is necessary to give 'substantive meaning to the court's recognition that this is harmful and wrongful offending,' Ormiston said.
CTV News
16-05-2025
- CTV News
RCMP release sketch of suspect who lured 6-year-old child south of Saskatoon
Saskatchewan RCMP investigators have released a second sketch of a suspect in a child luring investigation. On May 9 around 12:30 p.m., Warman RCMP were called to a business south of Saskatoon, off of Highway 762. 'Investigation determined an adult male lured a child, who was under the age of 6, to an isolated area of the business property,' RCMP said in a news release. Police say the child did not know the man, who exposed himself to the child. According to police, the man then fled into a nearby treed area after the child's family intervened. Police did not provide further information about the child to maintain their privacy. Police say the child was not physically injured. After searching the area, police did not locate the suspect, who is described as approximately six feet tall with a medium build. 'He has a light complexion, medium-length curly blonde hair, and is clean shaven. He has spaces between his teeth. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, gray mirrored sunglasses, a blue shirt, blue jeans and black shoes,' the RCMP said. Investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect. If you recognize the suspect or have any information about the incident, police say to contact them.
CBS News
10-05-2025
- CBS News
Police investigating possible child-luring attempt in Palos Verdes Estates
Police are investigating reports of a possible child-luring attempt in the Palos Verdes Estates area on Friday. They say that it happened at around 3:45 p.m. in the 2400 block of Via Pacheco, where a 10-year-old boy was walking home from Lunada Bay Elementary School, according to a release from Palos Verdes police. "He was approached by a female driver who offered him a ride twice and stated she would text his mother," the release said. The boy told police that she was the only person he could see inside of the car. He refused her requests, at which time a good Samaritan walking his dog through the area intervened. He asked the boy if he knew the woman. "The child told the good Samaritan that he did not," police said. "The unidentified good Samaritan told the child to go home as he talked to the driver." Police said that the boy made it home safely and reported the incident to his parents, who then contacted them. Arriving officers could not find the suspect or the good Samaritan. They continue to search for both as their investigation remains ongoing. The suspect is described as a woman between 30 and 50 years old with a medium build and brown hair. They believe she was driving a newer-model SUV similar to a Kia EV9. The good Samaritan is descbried as a man in his 70s who was wearing a baseball hat and black sunglasses. He was walking a dog similar to a white Labrador retriever. Police alerted the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District of the incident. "We take the safety of our children seriously and urge parents to remain vigilant, talk with their children about safety, and report any suspicious activity," police said in a statement. "We also ask that if you see something, say something. The PVEPD continues to investigate the incident. Let's work together to keep our community safe." Anyone who knows more is urged to contact detectives at (310) 378-4211.
