Alberta RCMP lay sex trafficking charges against Cochrane man

Police have arrested and charged a 47-year-old man in southern Alberta with human trafficking and other offences dating back two decades.

Sgt. Matt Pumphrey of the Cochrane RCMP said they began an investigation in February, after a woman came forward with a complaint.

She reported that she had a brief relationship with a man she met online in 2004 and he trafficked her online until 2007. He posted nude photos of her on a website, where other men arranged to pay for sexual services, said Pumphrey.

He said the accused drove the woman to arranged locations and collected the money.

Investigators identified other women who also gave similar statements about the man, Pumphrey said.

The accused, who lives in Cochrane, west of Calgary, is charged with several other offences, including with sexual assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement and extortion.

He is scheduled to appear in court in Cochrane on Nov. 26.

Police said more charges could be laid.

"In talking to all the different women who came forward and provided statements, there was a lot of corroboration between the different victims and their stories," Pumphrey said.

"I believe that this is more common than what we want to believe that vulnerable women are being exploited in this way.

"Cochrane is a bedroom community of Calgary and I think it's common to believe this is a Calgary issue. This case proves, although it was 20 years ago, that it's not. This can happen anywhere."

Canadian country singer Paul Brandt, founder of the advocacy group Not in My City and co-chair of the Alberta Centre to End Trafficking in Persons, was at the news conference.

Brandt said human trafficking is a $180-billion a year industry, with each victim in Canada bringing in $280,000 for criminals. He said there needs to be more awareness, since the average age of a victim when they are first trafficked in Canada is 13.

"It's not someone in a white van who is stealing someone necessarily," he said.

"People don't really understand the nature of human trafficking. In essence, it's force, fraud and coercion facilitated by a third party."

Brandt praised the complainant in the Cochrane case for coming forward and said it's important to put power back in the hands of those who are abused.