Source: South China Morning Post
Date: June 27, 2013
A Hong Kong man who brought his Filipino maid with his family when they moved to Vancouver has been convicted of human trafficking in a landmark verdict.
A jury in the British Columbia Supreme Court also found Franco Orr Yiu-kwan, 50, guilty of illegally employing a foreign national, as well as immigration breaches. His partner, Nicole Huen Oi-ling, was acquitted of human trafficking and the lesser charges.
Defence lawyer Nicholas Preovolos told the Canadian Press news agency after the Wednesday night verdict that his clients were “in shock, frankly they’re stunned”. Orr’s trafficking conviction could carry a life sentence, although Preovolos said he would argue for a non-custodial conditional sentence.
This is the first human trafficking conviction in British Columbia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Preovolos, who told the Canadian Press that an appeal was likely, could not be reached for further comment.
The maid, Leticia Sarmiento, 40, moved to Canada with Orr and Huen and their three young children in September, 2008...
Read the full story and view a CBCNews video here.
No comments:
Post a Comment