The police investigated central persons in the exploitation case in St. John for human trafficking

Tony Humby and Bruce Escott, two men accused of being central figures in a sexual exploitation case in St. John’s, were suspected of using youths to recruit others to go to a trailer park to perform sex acts for money and drugs.

A 355-page document obtained by CBC News shows the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary secured search warrants in part alleging Humby and Escott were trafficking boys under 18.

The court record, made by RNC Const. Jennifer Cotter, presents what police believed to be a recruitment scheme to get older victims to enlist younger boys.

“The victims who came forward indicated that there was a pattern in place involving younger males,” the officer wrote in the affidavit, known as a search warrant information, or ITO.

Humby and Escott face a total of 86 charges against 13 plaintiffs in total between 1995 and 2022. The search warrant document summarizes police statements from more than 20 people who made allegations where no charges were filed.

In late August, a provincial court judge approved a request by CBC News to unseal police search warrant files. This document – ​​which has not been tested in court – provides an account of how the RNC built the case around the two men.

Crown prosecutors were able to block the release of some information, including the names of those they believed to have been victims of Humby and Escott in their youth, but who later recruited new victims as they grew older.

“Victims of sexual assault and potential victims of sexual assault should be reminded that police do not believe Mr. Humby and Mr. Escott acted alone,” Crown attorney Dana Sullivan wrote in a court brief filed in response to CBC’s request. to unseal search warrant documents.

“People believed to be potential victims of one or both men in the past are believed to have helped recruit youths to go to Humby’s residence.”

The affidavit claims the recruitment scheme appeared to confuse investigators at times.

The author wrote that during an interview on January 12, 2024, police warned a man and told him he was a suspect in the investigation. He became angry, telling police he had no involvement in sexually assaulting young boys and adding that he had been molested by Humby when he was 16. He was not charged.

Recruitment and intimidation tactics described

Police search warrant documents outline a number of allegations related to the recruitment of victims.

Cotter wrote how a complainant told police Humby began pressuring him to bring younger boys as he approached 18.

He said he was offered between $150 and $1,000 – less for oral sex and more for intercourse.

The complainant told police that Humby specifically asked for boys between the ages of 12 and 16.

According to Cotter’s affidavit, two group home workers in St. John’s told police last year that they believed there was a recruitment scheme, where the underage boys would be responsible for finding other boys to bring to the caravan park between 2019 and 2022. .

The mother of a minor complainant told social workers she believed her son was being asked to be part of this recruitment process, saying she had seen messages in which Humby asked if he had friends who could come.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said, her son replied. That’s according to the police account of her interview with an RNC investigator, as cited in Cotter’s affidavit.

According to the ITO, investigators believe Humby and Escott exerted considerable influence over the boys, aged between 13 and 18, by feeding them drugs, alcohol and money.

The affidavit cites several instances where intimidation played a role in the boys’ decision-making.

A complainant was said to have alleged that Humby threatened him with a gun and also threatened to strangle him during sex if he did not comply.

Humby faces one count of uttering threats in connection with those allegations. No other charges related to threats or weapons have been filed.

In the days after the first charges were laid in April 2023, another youth allegedly told his social worker that he was being threatened and appeared to fear for his safety.

“(Name redacted) has received threats since the allegations were made against Bruce and Tony, but would not disclose who,” reads an excerpt from a social worker’s report cited in Cotter’s affidavit. “(He) stated he is fine but is concerned for his safety.”

Bar not met on traffic charges: court papers

Human trafficking involves recruiting or transporting a person for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

It is an extremely rare charge in Newfoundland and Labrador. Human trafficking cases have gone to court only twice in the last 15 years. Both times, the charges were dropped.

There is a separate offense under Canadian law for trafficking in persons under the age of 18, which is punishable by a maximum of 14 years in prison or life imprisonment in cases involving aggravated sexual assault.

That’s the crime police believed early on in their investigation of Humby and Escott, according to search warrant filings.

Police obtained statements from dozens of people during their investigation, including more than 30 who made allegations of sex offences.

In the end, human trafficking was not among the 86 total charges laid.

Investigators concluded that they were “unable to formulate reasonable and probable cause for the human trafficking charges,” while noting that “it will be re-examined pending any additional information.”

Escott pleaded guilty to one count of sexual interference and is expected to enter more guilty pleas later this month as part of a deal with the Crown.

Meanwhile, Humby pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin in March.

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