Police have charged five men following an underage sex sting in Halifax.
Police say they conducted the operation last week after noting an increase in the amount of young women engaged in online prostitution.
A police officer posted a fake ad on different websites, such as Craigslist, posing as a 16-year-old girl.
Police say they received many responses but that five men quickly became the focus of the investigation.
In just four days, police say the officer exchanged hundreds of emails with the men and arranged for them to meet at local hotels to exchange sexual services with the girl.
Police arrested the men as they showed up at the hotels.
“It is public record now that these men have been charged with these offences and we do hope this will serve as a deterrence to prevent this type of behaviour from escalating and more men from trying to communicate with younger females,” says Halifax Regional Police Const. Pierre Bourdages.
The men each face charges of using a computer to communicate with a person believed to be under the age of 18 for the purpose of engaging in prostitution:
- Mitchell Gary Kays-Rose, 25, of Halifax
- Alan Tek, 29, of Halifax
- Peter Lee White, 39, of Halifax
- Donald William Moore, 43, of Shubenacadie
- Pierre (Rick) Joseph Simon, 57, of Hilden
Police say Kays-Rose has also been charged with possession of a controlled substance.
The men have since been released on conditions and are due to appear in Halifax provincial court on April 2.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
