The 17-year-old ringleader in a horrific teen pimp ring in Ottawa was convicted today on 27 charges. The veneer on the tough teen finally cracked and she broke down in tears. For the first time, the mother of one of the victims spoke publicly outside the courthouse about what had happened to her 13-year-old daughter in the summer of 2012. “Today I heard the majority of what happened to my daughter,” she said, near tears, “and I am even more broken than I was.” For several hours, the mother heard a detailed account in court of what happened to her daughter on a supposed "sleepover" with friends in that summer. On the young girl’s evidence and that of several other young victims, the 17-year-old ringleader in teen pimp ring was convicted on 27 charges. “My daughter is my hero,” she told reporters, “because anybody who has been a victim of any sorts who is brave enough to come up and tell their story in front of everyone is a hero and she is my hero and so are the other victims.” The accused in the case broke down as Justice Diane Lahaie convicted her of several charges including human trafficking, sexual assault, confinement, child pornography and abduction. Judge Lahaie recalled the hell of that two-day sleepover that scarred the young girl. The 13-year-old had testified about being beaten, photographed, threatened and forced to perform sex acts on men for money. At one point during those horrifying two days, the 13 year old was taken to an apartment with five men. She was ill, after being forced earlier to take half of a pill that court heard was probably Ecstasy. One of the men followed her to the bathroom and told her she had to have sex with him or he would throw her off the balcony. The girl told him that after what she had been through, she told him to do it, and added “Get it over with.” Instead, he picked her up, threw her in a closet, and then told her to get out. Justice Lahaie recalled the testimony of a 16-year-old victim who refused to cooperate with the ringleader and two other girls involved in the human trafficking case. The accused were trying to drag her into a car with a man as she “clung to a pole, holding onto a street sign.” Her hair extensions were pulled out and she was punched in the nose and eventually forced to perform oral sex in an apartment. The two other teenage girls have already pleaded guilty in the case. It’s a first of its kind in Canada. Detective Carolyn Botting is one of the lead detectives in the case, “All of the victims at the end of the day that's what they’re here for. They want to hear the word guilty and that's what we got and we're thrilled.” The young victim’s mother is pleased too with the verdict but worried this could happen to someone else's daughter. “It's kind of sad,” she said, “but make sure you know where your kids are, make sure you know who your kids’ friends are and if you have a gut feeling, follow it.” The Crown will ask to have the ringleader tried as an adult. The minimum sentence, in that case, would be 5 years in jail. The 17-year-old is being sent for a psychiatric assessment before returning to court February 12 to have a date set for her sentencing.
