Innisfil Pride founder facing allegations of serious sexual offences
Jake Tucker founded Innisfil Pride and ran as an independent candidate for Barrie-Innisfil in the provincial election, and now Tucker is facing allegations of serious sexual offences.
Police arrested Tucker in Barrie in April for offences that allegedly happened between 2017 and 2021, including exploitation, profiting from sexual services, trafficking an individual, and assault.
"I've known Jake professionally for some time, and he is an upstanding citizen. These charges are false. They are completely false," said Tucker's defence lawyer Matthew Giesinger from inside his Bradford Street office in Barrie on Wednesday.
"Jake is very concerned about the charges, but at this stage, the only comment I can make is that he strenuously denies the allegations. There's absolutely no truth to them," Giesinger said.
The identity of the complainant is protected under a publication ban. Now Tucker's lawyer is seeking a publication ban for his client.
"Unfortunately, due to the publicity that these charges have brought, Jake Tucker has been experiencing fear in the community, and as such, he is seeking a common law publication band to cover himself so that no future information about these charges will be made public," the defence lawyer said.
According to court documents, the 35-year-old is accused of exploiting and exercising control, direction or influence over the movement of the complainant while financially benefitting from the alleged trafficking.
The matter returns to court later this month.
The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.