Accused human trafficker hires serial killer's former lawyer ahead of trial
A registered sex offender accused of human trafficking has hired a new lawyer two months ahead of trial.
On Tuesday, in a virtual Barrie courtroom, Lauriston Maloney appeared alongside defence lawyer, Anthony Bryant, who once represented notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo.
In 2005, Bryant received a letter from Bernardo confessing to several additional crimes following his conviction for the murders of Kristin French and Leslie Mahaffy.
Maloney is scheduled to stand trial in October.
The 43-year-old man from Essa Township is accused of trafficking a person, receiving material benefits from trafficking, assault and forcible confinement.
Maloney, who was first convicted about 20 years ago for trafficking an underage girl as part of an escort service he ran in the Mississauga area, was arrested last July along with his wife Amber, who is also accused of trafficking a person and materially benefiting from it, administering a noxious substance, fraud over $5,000 and uttering a forged document.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The couple's arrests came after a rare public safety warning issued by the OPP advising the community of Maloney's presence at the unlicenced 'Beating the Odds' camp for children on the autism spectrum owned and operated since 2022 by his wife on their two-acre property in Utopia.
A publication ban protects any evidence heard in court from being released. However, police confirmed the alleged victim in the case was not a child at the camp.
Nottawasaga OPP previously said Maloney was also convicted about 10 years ago for trafficking young women.
Following several weeks in custody, the couple was released on bail to their respective parents.
Bryant declined to comment on the case.
The allegations against the Maloneys have not been tested in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING 3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre
Three men were injured after a man armed with a knife entered a Montreal-area Islamic cultural centre Friday afternoon.
BREAKING Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Suspect arrested in theft of Porsche that was captured on video
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Recall issued for 38,000 GM vehicles in Canada over software safety glitch
Transport Canada has issued a recall for 38,000 General Motors (GM) vehicles for safety risks related to a software glitch, the agency reported in a notice on Wednesday.
11-year-old boy dies after subway surfing in NYC
An 11-year-old boy died Monday after subway surfing in New York City. He's the fourth person to die from subway surfing in the city this year.
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
Top Hezbollah commander among 12 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.
Canadians say they fear they've been scammed out of thousands of dollars by car moving company
An Ontario man says he’s still waiting for a vehicle he purchased on Kijiji to be delivered to his home. But after more than a month, he says he’s losing hope that the car will arrive and believes that he is a victim of a scam.