Edmonton man who sex-trafficked teenage girl sentenced to 7 years in prison

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Forcing a teenage girl into the sex trade landed an Alberta man seven years in prison.

Islam Montasser did not outwardly react as Crown Court judge Steven Mandziuk sentenced him on Tuesday, condemning his crimes and saying a message needed to be sent to those involved in human trafficking.

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“All those involved in the exploitation and trafficking of human beings for their own profit and the sexual gratification of others are complicit in a process of dehumanization, degradation and inhumane, uncivilized treatment,” Mandziuk said.

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“Those who choose to exploit vulnerable people by subjecting them to these degrading and dehumanizing demands and behaviors will pay dearly.”

With credit for time served and sentence reductions for pretrial detention conditions, Montasser, 29, has about three and a half years left to serve.

Montasser, a house painter, met his victim on Facebook in March 2021 when he was 15. The girl, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, had run away from home and was using drugs. Montasser flattered her, telling her she was beautiful and asking if she was interested in “the job” – slang for sex work done in hotels. He lured her to Edmonton by telling her she could make $2,000 to $3,000 a day having sex with people.

Montasser also requested dozens of nude photos and videos from the girl, which he said he would use to make her an OnlyFans account. He asked her not to tell anyone her age because she could get in trouble for “child trafficking”, which would be “peniant”.

In the following weeks, Montasser and three other co-defendants controlled the girl’s life. They created online ads for it (although an OnlyFans account was ultimately never used). They arranged for her to meet on multiple occasions with unidentified men who sexually assaulted her for money. Montasser admitted groping the girl over her clothes on one occasion.

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The girl was also high on drugs, with Montasser admitting to giving her oxycodone and other substances. She finally tried to run away. She ended up at a convenience store where she picked up an unidentified substance, which she hoped would be a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Police eventually found the girl after she told a friend she was “forced to have sex with old men for money and fed cocaine.” She did not submit a victim impact statement or appear in court for sentencing.

The offender is “ashamed”

In February, Montasser pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking, which carries a sentence of five to 14 years in prison.

Defense attorney Steven Fix asked for the minimum sentence. He said Montasser should receive a lenient sentence for his guilty plea, which saved the victim from having to testify.

Fix asked for a reduced sentence for Montasser’s remand period, which he said included multiple assaults by other inmates and meals containing pork despite being Muslim. Fix painted his client as an unsophisticated “follower” desperate to fit in. Although not formally diagnosed, Fix also suggested his client has an “organic and permanent” learning disability.

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Montasser told Mandziuk he was “ashamed” of his actions and promised to lead a “crime-free” life in the future.

Prosecutor Susan Hughson asked for eight years, citing Montasser’s “predatory” behavior and noting that he was on probation at the time he trafficked the girl. His record includes convictions for failure to appear in court, obstructing police, felony flight, drug possession and possession of stolen property.

In the end, Mandziuk reduced the seven-year sentence by six months to take into account the time Montasser spent under house arrest, as well as the conditions of pretrial detention. The judge credited Montasser with 30 days for each time he caught COVID-19 in jail, as well as 30 days for the pork incident.

The Crown acknowledged the arrest may have been due to Montasser’s breach of dietary restrictions, but said it may have been an accident.

Montasser must also register as a sex offender for 20 years.

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