B.C. man found guilty of employing a foreign national without authorization
A B.C. man who appealed his previous conviction of human trafficking, was found not guilty, Friday, following a second trial.
However, Franco Orr was convicted of illegally employing a foreign national. The case involved a nanny he hired for his children.
The nanny, who can only be identified as L.S., said she worked for Orr, his wife and their three children when she came to Canada with the couple from Hong Kong five years ago.
During the first trial, L.S. testified she worked 16-hour days, was paid $500-a-month and was lied to about the possibility of gaining legal employment in Canada.
In 2010, after working for the family for 22 months, she sought help by calling 911.
In 2013, Orr became the first person in Canada to be convicted for human trafficking under the Immigration Act and was was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
Orr appealed and a B.C. Court of Appeal panel of judges overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial.
Throughout the second trial, the defence challenged the nanny's credibility.
In her decision, B.C. Supreme Justice Jennifer Duncan said there were inconsistencies in L.S.'s testimony.
"The inconsistencies are a cause for concern," she wrote.
The judge questioned the nanny's claim she had no idea what kind of Visa she had, and that no one explained anything to her when she arrived in Canada.
Duncan questioned how L.S. was able to pass through a major international airport without anyone apparently speaking to her.
The judge also questioned the poor treatment she claims she received from the family.
"L.S. went to extremes to deny anything good happened to her in Canada," said Duncan.
A date for Orr's sentencing hearing will be set on September 14.
With files from Farrah Merali
