Toronto man wanted, three others charged in human trafficking investigation
Posted February 28, 2019 8:15 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Three people have been charged and one remains at large after a 17-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted, drugged and forced into the sex trade.
The Toronto Police Human Trafficking Enforcement Team and 22 Division said it began investigating on Jan. 3, 2019, after a teen contacted police saying she escaped her captors.
Four days earlier, the girl met with two men near Yonge and Dundas streets. The men befriended her and gave her drugs and alcohol, police said in a news release Thursday.
The girl was then taken to the Hamilton area and allegedly sexually assaulted by three men. A fourth man forced the girl into the sex trade and explicit photos of the girl were posted online, advertising her sexual services, police said.
An alleged sexual assault was also recorded on video.
“The girl was made to provide sexual services to numerous clients and the men,” police said. “The girl was further directed to turn over all the money to the men.”
Throughout the incident, the police said she was deprived of sleep and food, was also forced to consume drugs, and was physically assaulted.
The girl returned to Toronto with one of the men where she was able to escape.
Charlton Sealy, 35, of no fixed address, and Shabaka Reid, 36, of Hamilton were arrested on Jan. 30, 2019. They both face numerous charges including sexual assault, human trafficking and making and possessing child pornography.
Deanna Passera, 27, of no fixed address, was arrested on Feb. 15, 2019. She is also facing several charges including human trafficking, making and publishing child pornography and procuring/exercising control.
Police are still searching for Troy Thornhill, 37, of Toronto. He is wanted on similar charges.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
“Police would like to encourage all affected individuals to come forward,” police said. “We want to make sure that everyone has access to support services and an exit strategy, regardless of their decision to proceed criminally.”
