Man charged after allegedly forcing teen into prostitution
Posted April 25, 2015 8:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A 22-year-old man is facing multiple charges after a teenage girl was allegedly recruited into the sex trade.
Police said they began a human trafficking investigation last October after it was alleged that a 16-year-old girl was forced to become a prostitute.
It was reported that for more than a month the teen was taken by a man to numerous hotels in the GTA and held against her will. The suspect allegedly used threats against her and her family to coerce her into the sex trade.
He also allegedly sexually and physically assaulted the girl and forced her to lie about her age.
Police arrested Michael Hazel, of no fixed address, on Thursday.
He is facing 19 charges including human trafficking, distributing and making child pornography, forcible confinement, uttering death threats and sexual exploitation of a young person.