Human trafficker who threatened to cut victim into pieces gets 16 months in jail

A Halifax man who pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges and admitted to threatening to cut his victim into pieces has been sentenced to 16 months in jail.

Leslie Burton Gray, 25, pleaded guilty to uttering death threats, human trafficking, advertising sexual services, and unlawfully receiving benefits from someone. He was sentenced last week in Halifax provincial court.

The charges involve a woman in her 20s whose identity is protected by a publication ban.

In an agreed statement of facts, the court was told how Gray advertised the woman's sexual services on the online site Backpages.

He had her charge up to $180 an hour for her services and scheduled her for up to 20 appointments a day. She never saw any of the money and had to steal to feed herself, according to the statement of facts. During this period, she also contracted HIV.

The woman estimates that during a six-month period in 2016, she made $10,000 but never saw any of the money, according to the statement of facts.

At one point, Gray discussed in front of the woman how he could throw her body in the river and no one would care that she was gone. He also threatened to cut her up and keep her body parts in his fridge until he could serve her at a dinner party.

The woman eventually reported her experiences to Halifax Regional Police, resulting in charges laid in March 2017.

In addition to his jail sentence, Gray faces two years' probation and a 10-year ban on possessing weapons.

Gray's brother, Andre Jerome Gray, 21, also previously pleaded guilty to one count of uttering death threats in connection to the case. He was sentenced to 112 days in jail, as well as three years' probation and a 99-year weapons ban.

Correction : A previous version of this story said a charge against Andre Gray was dropped. In fact, he was given a 112-day jail sentence.(Jan 16, 2018 10:12 AM)