Judge says ‘classic pimping behaviour’ will net Mississauga man a seven year sentence
Published February 27, 2023 at 8:24 pm
A man from Mississauga pled guilty to several offences related to engaging in “classic pimping behaviour,” according to court documents and has been sentenced to seven years behind bars.
Dwayne Gordon, 26, was convicted on five charges, including pointing a gun, unlawful confinement, profiting off of human trafficking and assault causing bodily harm on Feb. 3.
The charges stem from a relationship with the victim, known only by her initials in the court documents, that began in 2019. At the time, the victim, then aged 20, was working as a dancer at the For Your Eyes Only adult club in Toronto’s Fashion District. The club, once at home on King St., is now permanently closed.
A mutual friend introduced Gordon and the victim and the pair began what she thought was an exclusive romance. Eventually, this relationship “evolved” into a business relationship as well.
According to Justice R.F. Goldstein’s sentencing decision, Gordon began to cover the victim’s rent, transport, food, and security cost. The victim, in turn, had to hand over all of her earnings to Gordon.
Gordon grew increasingly aggressive toward the victim, eventually forcing her to work every single day, including Sundays when the club was closed.
Videos
The victim also said that Gordon had access to firearms. On one occasion, he loaded a gun with a sock so as not to leave fingerprints and, in September 2019, aimed the gun at her. He recorded the second incident on his phone.
Around the time Gordon pointed the gun at the victim, he also began to get violent. Documents say he choked her into unconsciousness at an unspecified date. On Sept. 4, he suddenly struck the victim while they sat in a car and pulled out a large chunk of her hair.
On Sept. 12, the statement of facts read the victim was hungover and not feeling up to work. Gordon then threatened to assault her again and at 7 p.m. that night, made good on the threat.
He entered the victim’s condo uninvited and pulled her from her bed. He kicked the victim in the head several times, leaving her with swelling and a black eye. He then forced her to collect her $1,200 in earnings from For Your Eyes Only, which she then handed over to him.
This went on for roughly three months before the victim told Gordon she wanted out. He said she could buy her freedom for $50,000.
Finally, on Jan. 17, 2020, the victim met a man at the Shangri-La hotel in Toronto. Gordon called and asked if the victim was being paid for this meeting, but she hung up, refusing to answer later calls.
Gordon then contacted another woman who was with the victim at the Shangri-La and arranged to pick up both women from the hotel. Hotel surveillance recorded the victim hopping into the front seat of a Jeep driven by Gordon in the early morning hours of Jan. 18.
After driving away from the hotel, Gordon attacked the victim. He struck her in the face around six times, causing significant bleeding. The victim managed to escape the car and flee, screaming as she did so. Gordon tried to chase her down but gave up after a short distance.
He abandoned the Jeep, and it was discovered later by Toronto Police. Investigators searched the Jeep and found blood on the door and passenger seat. It was later determined forensically the blood was “unquestionably” the victim’s. They also found the Jeep did not belong to Gordon.
At nearly 2 a.m. that morning, Toronto Police got a 911 call about a woman, the victim, bleeding from her face. She told the officers what happened and then received medical treatment in hospital.
Police arrested Gordon later that day on Bloor St. in Dufferin Grove, about six kilometres northwest of the Shangri-La. He was driving a Mercedes-Benz. The officers found Oxycodone pills, more than $1,500 in cash, and a BC driver’s licence with a false name on him.
Goldstein found “Gordon engaged in classic pimping behaviour. Mr. Gordon exercised control over [the victim] using manipulation, threats of violence, and actual violence for a significant period of time. He took control of her earnings and used them to support his lifestyle. He respected no boundaries regarding her living arrangements or her person. He inflicted significant injuries to her.”
Additionally, Goldstein cited Gordon’s long rap sheet as a major aggravating factor. Gordon was first convicted as a young offender in 2002 for assault, in 2007 for drug possession, in 2013 of failure to comply with recognizance and assault, in Jan. 2017 for dangerous driving and fleeing police and in Feb. 2017 for assault.
Gordon pled guilty before Goldstein in court, which the judge found weighed in his favour. As a result of these and other factors, including legal precedent for such offences, Goldstein sentenced Gordon to seven years in prison.
“I would have sentenced Mr. Gordon to a global sentence of 9 years before accounting for mitigating factors. That is because Mr. Gordon is an offender at the high end of the range considering the use of violence, the degree of control, the pointing of the firearm, and the criminal record.” Goldstein wrote, “However, I take into account the important mitigating factor of the guilty plea, recognizing that there were triable issues in the case.”
However, Gordon has spent the last three years in custody since his arrest. Therefore, Goldstein credited him with 4.5 years of credit for time served, so Gordon will spend the next 2.5 years in prison.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising