Yellowknife woman pleads guilty in case involving sexual assault of a minor, as co-accused's trial continues

WARNING: This article contains details of sexual abuseand may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

Atrial began Tuesdayfor two Yellowknife residents charged in relation to the sexual assault ofan underage girl. At the time of the incident, Alicia Moran was 30, John Robson was 60, and the alleged victim was 15.

Moran pleaded guilty to selling sexprovided by someone under 18in court Tuesdayafternoon.

According to the agreed statement of facts,on July 27, 2022, Moran contacted Robson, offering sex with the teenage girl in exchange for money. Robson agreed and picked up the underage girl, who was personally known to Moran.

Moran received $100 as a "finder's fee," after which Robson took the girl to a home in Yellowknifewhere he was house-sitting. There, it's alleged hesexually assaultedthe teenage victim and later gave her $200.

This was corroborated by a collection of evidence, including pictures of text messages from the accused and CCTV footage of Robson's vehicle obtained by the RCMP.

Both Moran and Robson claimed they were unaware of the victim's age at the time.

The charge Moran pleaded guilty to comes with a mandatory minimum sentence of two years and a maximum sentence of 14. Moran's defence plans to bring a constitutional challenge of that mandatory minimum, which the Crown intends to oppose, as part of Moran's sentencing in October.

Robson's judge-only trial on two counts of sexual assault and two counts of obtaining sex from someone under 18continued in the afternoon and included testimonies from the RCMP lead investigator and Moran.

Moran said she preferred not to have Robson in her line of sight, so a screen was set up to block her view of him.

Moran, a widow with three children, said she was desperate for money to buy crack when she arranged for Robson to have sex with the teenager. She had a prior relationship with Robson and offered himsexual services in exchange for money from time to time.

Moran also claimed to have never spoken to the victim about her age, school lifeor family, and said she only found out about her age during the police interrogation.

Maria Alejandra Velsquez Restrepo,the lead RCMP investigator in the case,said she recorded two video statements from the victim on Aug.2 and Aug.4, 2022, where the victim spoke about the alleged crime and gave details about the house where it happened.

Crown prosecutor Adam Karbani said the prosecution will continue Wednesday and will include testimony from the victim.

Although the trial was scheduled for nine days, Karbani expects it to conclude by Friday.

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.