Manitoba man wrongfully charged by RCMP in child exploitation case speaks out
CBC
A Manitoba man wants an apology from police after RCMP wrongfully named and charged him in relation to an alleged teen sex exploitation case in Portage la Prairie.
Scott Joseph Taylor, 34, was one of seven people named in a release by RCMP following an investigation that alleged teens were being lured into performing sexual acts on men in exchange for drugs and money.
"I've been threatened by the public. I've had death threats. My house was spray-painted, vandalized," Taylor said of his life since police released his name on July 9.
"It's just been awful. The stress I've been under, my family has been under, my friends. It's just terrible."
The press release said Taylor was charged with unsafe firearms storage and obtaining sexual services from a person under 18 after police searched his Portage la Prairie home.
Then on Friday, more than a week after the initial release, the Mounties sent an update stating Taylor was not involved in what happened and his charges had been stayed.
Even though police had cleared him, it didn't stop someone from beating him up on Sunday, leaving him with a black eye because police had said he was involved.
"This has ruined my life, my reputation, my mental health, everything. I want an apology, and I think I deserve it," Taylor said.
After his arrest someone sprayed the words "certified pedo" on his house, his life was been threatened over social media and he is afraid to leave his home, Taylor told CBC.
He doesn't know how his name got involved but said he is grateful that he had a good legal team to clear his name.
Taylor said he was en route to a shooting range with a neighbour on July 4 when police knocked at his door, arrested him and took him to jail.
That is when he learned that police were alleging he was involved in an exploitation case involving the sexual assault of teen girls.
RCMP allege a Long Plain First Nation woman had befriended two teens and took them to various homes in Portage la Prairie. At each location, a man provided drugs in exchange for sexual acts from the teens, according to RCMP.
The teens were unable to escape as the woman had locked them in, RCMP said.
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