Would-be john gets fine and probation

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This article was published 07/02/2020 (2248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Another man arrested during Project Beckon — a joint operation between Brandon Police Service and the Winnipeg Police Service that focused on sexual exploitation — was handed a fine and probation after pleading guilty on Thursday.

“The Supreme Court of Canada has called entry into the sex trade a constrained choice,” Crown attorney Rich Lonstrup told the court. “Many of the workers have been seen … not as being in that line of work by real choice but really rather circumstances such as socioeconomic conditions, marginalization, childhood abuse and addictions to alcohol and drugs.”

Scott Draper, 30, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court to obtaining sexual services for consideration on July 27.

Members of the Brandon Police Organized Crime Unit were taking part in a prostitution-related investigation targeting a specific area around the Comfort Inn on Middleton Avenue known to be frequented by sex-trade workers and their customers, Lonstrup said.

Draper approached a hotel room and engaged in conversation with an undercover officer, Lonstrup said, offering to pay her $100 for sexual intercourse.

He was arrested shortly after.

Draper was given the opportunity to go through a diversion program, Lonstrup said, meaning his charges could have been withdrawn or stayed upon completion of the required rehabilitation programming.

He was brought back before the court after failing to attend and complete the recommended programming.

Other offenders caught through Project Beckon have received fines in the range of $500 to $1,000, Lonstrup noted, recommending Draper receive a fine in that range as well as supervised probation.

“The Crown, as well as the police through this undercover effort, are taking this matter very seriously,” Lonstrup said. “There has to be a societal realization of the potential violence suffered by women and children selling their bodies for consideration at the hands of purchasers of sex.”

Defence lawyer Ryan Fawcett said that while the undercover officer was a complete stranger to Draper, he didn’t just approach a random woman on the street, but rather was responding to an advertisement for services on the internet.

A series of unfortunate events in Draper’s life had sent him on a bit of a downward spiral, Fawcett said, causing him to become involved in substances.

“This was part of this spiral, his involvement in this incident,” Fawcett said. “This incident has, in part, been a wake-up call for Mr. Draper and he’s taken steps to better himself.”

Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta handed Draper a $1,000 fine as well as one year of supervised probation.

“I’m concerned about the general vulnerability of the people who are typically exploited in these types of scenarios, and obviously it’s a real concern that this type of thing is going on in the city of Brandon,” Hewitt-Michta said. “While I am taking your personal circumstances into account, the most important job I have today is imposing a sentence that sends a message to you and everyone else that there are significant consequences … that it’s not worth the risk of getting caught.”

Police arrested 20 men between the ages of 22 and 82 years old during Project Beckon.

The men charged were from across Manitoba, including 14 living in Brandon. Others are from Virden, Shoal Lake, Winnipeg, Souris and Erickson.

A number of the men have been given the opportunity to take part in diversion programming. 

 

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