Manitoba man wrongfully charged by RCMP in child exploitation case speaks out

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.

Police search his home

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.

At the time, police announced 65 charges were laid against those involved in the alleged crimes. Five men face a number of charges in connection with the incidents, including sexual assault, sexual interference and child luring.

“I was horrified,” Taylor said of the allegations. 

Taylor’s lawyer, Matt Gould, said he was called shortly after Taylor was detained and immediately noticed flaws in how the arrest happened. 

“There were a lot of questions from Scott when I first talked to him, because he’s saying, ‘this doesn’t make any sense. I didn’t have anything to do with these people,'” Gould said.

Gould can’t go into details because the other arrests are still before the courts, but said there were easy-to-verify things that would have shown police they had the wrong person. 

“How he looks, where he works, the people that he hangs out with or doesn’t hang out with,” Gould said. 

“And I connected with prosecutors and highlighted the glaring inconsistencies in terms of the identification of my client.”

A photo of Taylor was sent by Gould to the Crown, who told them to show it to the complainant and eyewitnesses. He said prosecutors acted quickly when Gould pointed out the inconsistencies and took it “very seriously.”

The update from the RCMP that said Taylor had no involvement was “insufficient and insulting to Scott Taylor,” said Gould.

There is no apology and it still refers to the firearms found at Taylor’s home, Gould noted

Taylor said the guns were left out because of his plan to go to a gun range with his neighbour and he is a fully registered firearms owner. 

Appropriate steps were followed, police say 

In a prepared statement, an RCMP spokesperson said in any investigation, their responsibility is to find the truth. The spokesperson said investigators followed all appropriate investigative steps and when it was determined that one of the accused was not involved, immediate steps were taken to stay the charges.

Taylor said his message to RCMP is to properly investigate before charging someone with such a serious crime.

“Because this has ruined my life. What you’ve done to me, this has ruined my life. This has ruined my family’s life. That’s my message,” he said.