Charles Lefebvre
CTVNewsWinnipeg.ca Supervising News Producer – Digital
Scott Joseph Taylor, 34, claims that his life has been devastated after being wrongfully named in a child sex trafficking investigation in Portage la Prairie. Taylor was initially charged with obtaining sexual services for consideration from a person under 18 and unsafe storage of firearms. The charges were part of a broader investigation into an alleged sex trafficking ring, which was announced by the RCMP on July 9, 2023.
However, just 10 days later, on July 19, the RCMP released a statement announcing that Taylor’s charges had been formally stayed. The Manitoba RCMP Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit concluded that Taylor was not involved in the alleged trafficking case. The statement clarified that Taylor’s name had been mistakenly included in the initial release, and as a result, all charges against him had been dropped.
“The Manitoba RCMP Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit has determined that Scott Joseph Taylor, 34, named in the initial release, was not involved in this occurrence,” read the RCMP’s official statement. “As a result, all charges against Scott Joseph Taylor have been formally stayed in court.”
Despite the RCMP’s retraction of the charges, Taylor claims that the damage to his personal and professional life is irreparable. He has described how the false allegations have left him with a ruined reputation and lasting emotional scars.
The RCMP’s investigation initially targeted a child sex trafficking ring involving seven individuals and 65 charges, but Taylor was later exonerated. Still, the wrongful inclusion of his name in the investigation has had lasting consequences, as Taylor struggles to rebuild his life after being caught in the public eye.