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Thursday, July 15, 2004 The Halifax Herald Limited
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Pimp gets 7-year sentence
Halifax man sexually assaulted 15-year-old hearing-impaired girl
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE / Staff Reporter
At a time when she should have been an innocent student enjoying a carefree summer break from school, 15-year-old Jane was far from her Prince Edward Island home surviving a drug-addicted, degrading life in Halifax, courtesy of her middle-aged pimp.
Between early June and late September of 2003 the hearing-impaired girl was compelled to prostitute herself by Reginald Edward James, a 47-year-old father of one and convicted criminal who befriended her, then fuelled her cocaine habit and sexually assaulted her.
He also threatened to kill Jane and videotaped his sexual activities with the teen so she could use the tape as a type of training film, a sentencing hearing in Nova Scotia Supreme Court was told Wednesday.
Court heard the girl, whose real name is banned from publication, had a troubled background before she met Mr. James, a resident of North Street in Halifax.
Jane had earlier been involved in prostitution and had done cocaine, Crown attorney Susan MacKay said.
But she said Mr. James, whom she described as a remorseless victimizer beyond rehabilitation, preyed on the girl and forced her to do things against her will for months before she filed a complaint with police.
Noting the age gap between victim and perpetrator - Mr. James is old enough to be Jane's father - Justice John Murphy said the deaf girl was at a "very vulnerable age," and the time spent with Mr. James has "had a serious effect on her."
Court heard Jane has tried to kill herself several times.
The judge sentenced Mr. James to seven years in prison, though with time already served, he has five years and five months remaining on his term.
Justice Murphy also imposed a lifetime firearms ban on the man and ordered his blood samples sent to a national DNA registry.
After a trial in May, Mr. James was convicted of four charges: sexual assault, uttering a death threat, compelling the girl to engage in prostitution and living off the avails of prostitution.
The judge opted for a sentence in between the eight years and seven months the Crown sought and the five years the defence recommended.
Justice Murphy said Jane has "a significant disability" that probably made her more susceptible to nefarious characters. He said Mr. James supplied her with cocaine, elevated her level of prostitution for financial gain and used the girl for his own sexual gratification.
"Prostitution, particularly involving the control of young girls, is abhorrent in our society and the activity must be discouraged by the courts," the judge said before handing down his sentence.
Justice Murphy acknowledged Jane had a troubled background prior to meeting Mr. James but said her life was made worse by a man who court heard was a troubled teen himself.
The judge said Mr. James was in the former Shelburne School for Boys and was abused there. He received compensation from the provincial government because of his ordeal.
Defence lawyer Tanya Jones said before the sentence was imposed that the Crown's penalty recommendation was too stiff. She said Mr. James's criminal record, which includes drug trafficking, is dated and unrelated to the pimping-related conviction.
But Crown attorney Susan MacKay said the longer sentence for someone with "no realistic probability of rehabilitation" reflects the seriousness of his crimes.
In the end, Mr. James had little to say in court, other than that he's glad to hear Jane is getting professional help to try to beat her cocaine addiction. She now lives with relatives outside metro.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pimp gets 7-year sentence
Halifax man sexually assaulted 15-year-old hearing-impaired girl
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE / Staff Reporter
At a time when she should have been an innocent student enjoying a carefree summer break from school, 15-year-old Jane was far from her Prince Edward Island home surviving a drug-addicted, degrading life in Halifax, courtesy of her middle-aged pimp.
Between early June and late September of 2003 the hearing-impaired girl was compelled to prostitute herself by Reginald Edward James, a 47-year-old father of one and convicted criminal who befriended her, then fuelled her cocaine habit and sexually assaulted her.
He also threatened to kill Jane and videotaped his sexual activities with the teen so she could use the tape as a type of training film, a sentencing hearing in Nova Scotia Supreme Court was told Wednesday.
Court heard the girl, whose real name is banned from publication, had a troubled background before she met Mr. James, a resident of North Street in Halifax.
Jane had earlier been involved in prostitution and had done cocaine, Crown attorney Susan MacKay said.
But she said Mr. James, whom she described as a remorseless victimizer beyond rehabilitation, preyed on the girl and forced her to do things against her will for months before she filed a complaint with police.
Noting the age gap between victim and perpetrator - Mr. James is old enough to be Jane's father - Justice John Murphy said the deaf girl was at a "very vulnerable age," and the time spent with Mr. James has "had a serious effect on her."
Court heard Jane has tried to kill herself several times.
The judge sentenced Mr. James to seven years in prison, though with time already served, he has five years and five months remaining on his term.
Justice Murphy also imposed a lifetime firearms ban on the man and ordered his blood samples sent to a national DNA registry.
After a trial in May, Mr. James was convicted of four charges: sexual assault, uttering a death threat, compelling the girl to engage in prostitution and living off the avails of prostitution.
The judge opted for a sentence in between the eight years and seven months the Crown sought and the five years the defence recommended.
Justice Murphy said Jane has "a significant disability" that probably made her more susceptible to nefarious characters. He said Mr. James supplied her with cocaine, elevated her level of prostitution for financial gain and used the girl for his own sexual gratification.
"Prostitution, particularly involving the control of young girls, is abhorrent in our society and the activity must be discouraged by the courts," the judge said before handing down his sentence.
Justice Murphy acknowledged Jane had a troubled background prior to meeting Mr. James but said her life was made worse by a man who court heard was a troubled teen himself.
The judge said Mr. James was in the former Shelburne School for Boys and was abused there. He received compensation from the provincial government because of his ordeal.
Defence lawyer Tanya Jones said before the sentence was imposed that the Crown's penalty recommendation was too stiff. She said Mr. James's criminal record, which includes drug trafficking, is dated and unrelated to the pimping-related conviction.
But Crown attorney Susan MacKay said the longer sentence for someone with "no realistic probability of rehabilitation" reflects the seriousness of his crimes.
In the end, Mr. James had little to say in court, other than that he's glad to hear Jane is getting professional help to try to beat her cocaine addiction. She now lives with relatives outside metro.
