A Toronto man who helped his girlfriend traffick two young teen girls in 2018 has been sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison.
Superior Court Justice John Harper said Same Tedros Alemu, now 25, did more than just watch his girlfriend, Deja Denique Clarke, set up the two teens – then 14 and 16 and both from Hamilton – in a Brantford motel and arrange sexual visits for money .
“He knew Clarke was placing ads for clients for money,” said Superior Court Justice John Harper. “He knew Clarke placed the ads on a cellphone he gave her. The room was rented by Clarke with money Alemu gave her. He was present when Clarke said they’d be back and the girls better not leave the motel room.
“Mr. Alemu was a participant and facilitated the events. He was not someone standing by.”
Last November, Harper found Clarke and Alemu both guilty in the case.
He said Clarke was the “boss” and found her guilty of two counts each of human trafficking and receiving financial benefit from a crime, advertising a person to provide sexual services, procuring a person to offer sexual services, possession of another person’s identity document to commit an offense and possession of currency obtained by crime.
Alemu was found guilty of procuring persons under 18 for sexual services.
During a trial, court heard that Clarke, in early 2018, invited the girls to come to Brantford to party but took them to three hotels and motels. Clarke would post ads for sexual services on a website for facilitating prostitution that has since been shut down. Men could pay an extra $100 for sex without a condom.
Clarke and Alemu would often wait in the bathroom with whichever girl was not with a client. Clarke collected the payments and also arranged “outcalls,” where the girls were picked up and taken to a john’s house for sex.
The teenagers were rescued in March 2018 from a Colborne Street motel room as Clarke and Alemu slept.
Without access to phones that could make calls, one of the girls messaged a Hamilton friend through Snapchat, urging her to contact Brantford police. A female officer helped the girls quietly slip out of the room.
Clarke and Alemu were arrested as they tried to leave the motel.
After the pair were found guilty at trial, Clarke’s lawyer issued a constitutional challenge about mandatory minimum sentences and asked for an enhanced pre-sentence report dealing with the impact of systemic racism on Clarke, who is black.
Because of numerous delays, Clarke won’t be sentenced until next month. But Alemu wanted to proceed with his sentencing.
Harper said Alemu, who was born and raised in Khartoum, Sudan, came to Canada as a refugee when he was young and was raised by his mother in a good community.
After being arrested in this case, he was released on bail and tried to flee. He pleaded guilty to failing to attend court and breaching bail conditions.
That played into how Harper decided his sentence.
“He didn’t have to be incarcerated during the process of pretrial and trial but he chose to abscond. His own actions placed him back into custody and he hasn’t been released since,” the judge said.
“In my view, a person who defied a court order that allowed him to remain out of custody should not be able to obtain reductions due to COVID.”
The judge also noted Alemu has denied his guilt and has expressed little empathy for the victims, who suffered “serious emotional injury” and will be affected for years.
“The harm is at the extreme end of the emotional harm spectrum.”
Harper took into consideration Alemu’s youth and lack of criminal record.
Alemu received credit for more than two years he has already served, leaving him just over two years still to serve.
@EXPSGamble