Three Caledonia men guilty of human trafficking after teen forced into sex trade

Three men have been convicted in a Cayuga human-trafficking trial.

Justice Robert. J. Nightingale said in an oral judgment Tuesday that Daniel Campbell, 37, Dragisa Lucic, 30, and Joshua Hillock, 32, recruited, controlled and profited off a vulnerable" young person in late 2019 and early 2020, coercing her into providing sexual services in exchange for money," none of which she received.

She was 18 at the time.

In addition to Campbell, Lucic, and Hillock, two Caledonia women also faced charged in the case. Crystal-Anne Marier, 37, was found not guilty by Nightingale on Tuesday. The other Caledonia woman, referred to at times by the judge Tuesday as the other party," is facing human-trafficking charges and being tried separately.

It was clear that all the accused and the other party knew the complainant was dependent on her use of cocaine and had no income," Nightingale told the court.

The victim, a 21-year-old Brantford woman who cannot be named due to a publication ban, was told she was taking her first steps toward a modelling career. Instead, she testified in trial in the spring, she was forced into the sex trade.

The complainant testified her then-boyfriend told her Campbell, their drug dealer, could get her modelling work once she turned 18. One night in October 2019, Campbell picked her up and took her to a hotel, where Lucic and the other party" later arrived to take photos of her in lingerie.

In the morning, they texted to tell her she would be having sexual intercourse with clients that day - and the next day, and the next day.

Campbell never told her she would be doing anything else other than modelling," Nightingale said.

Nightingale said the complainant was deceived" by the accused. He said she testified providing sexual services for eight to 10 clients a day, sometimes booked hourly from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. with short breaks for meals in between. She did not pay for drugs, but was provided cocaine and sleeping pills by the accused, the judge said.

The accused were arrested in January 2020 after a Haldimand OPP investigation led officers to a home in Caledonia. Officers seized drugs and drug paraphernalia, replica guns and ammunition.

Campbell, Lucic and Hillock, all of Caledonia, were found guilty of human trafficking, receiving a financial or material benefit from human trafficking, procuring the complainant to offer or provide sexual services, receiving a financial or material benefit from sexual services. Marier was the only accused to testify in court and was found not guilty of these same charges.

Campbell was also convicted of sexual exploitation (he allegedly had sex with the complainant, who he knew was addicted to cocaine, several times before she turned 18), possessing a firearm without a licence, possessing ammunition while prohibited, possessing a firearm while prohibited and possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking.

Lucic, who took three sets of photos of the victim in lingerie, at least some of which were posted online, was also charged with advertising sexual services.

They all pleaded not guilty.

Nightingale disagreed with defence counsels' suggestions that the complainant's testimony lacked credibility, saying he found the complainant was trying to be honest in her evidence."

Although there were some inconsistencies in the complainants testimony in trial compared to previous statements ... they were not to any significant extent on the material issues in this case," he said.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 2.

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com