Previously convicted Ontario man charged with child luring, sexual assault in Winnipeg

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. 

A 49-year-old man from Red Lake, Ont., has been charged with sexually assaulting a teen girl in Winnipeg.

Police say Scott Christopher Alcorn began communicating with a girl in her mid-teens in December, using private messaging on a social media platform.

He gained her trust, formed a relationship and then travelled to Winnipeg — 255 kilometres southwest of Red Lake — on April 11 to meet her in person, they said Wednesday.

Police were called and found Alcorn with the girl in a city residence, where he sexually assaulted her, they alleged.

He is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, luring a person under 16 by means of telecommunication, and transmitting or making available explicit material to a person under 16.

Alcorn, who remains in police custody, previously served time in prison for having sex with a girl who later died by suicide.

In June 2015, Alcorn, then 39, made contact with a girl who was two days past her 16th birthday. He gave her alcohol in exchange for sex, court documents say.

The girl was a "very high‑risk youth" in the child welfare system with several mental health challenges and severe addictions issues. She lost her sister to suicide in 2013 and was engaging in survival sex, the documents said.

The sex was recorded by a man named Kevin Rose, who the court described as the girl's pimp.

Rose pleaded guilty to 19 offences, involving five girls age 13 to 17 and a 22-year-old woman, and was sentenced to 21 years.

Alcorn was sentenced to 15 months in jail, less time served awaiting trial.

The Crown appealed the sentence length and won. Alcorn's sentence was ultimately overturned and he was sentenced to five years, less credit for time already served.

"In order to better legally protect children, it is necessary to turn a new page from the past and embark on a fresh sentencing approach which focuses on greater offender accountability through increased sentences," the Manitoba Court of Appeal document states.

Paroled in 2023

Alcorn was granted full parole on April 14, 2023, after being assessed and considered to be at a low risk of reoffending sexually.

The parole board looked at the seriousness of Alcorn's offence and the "profound impact on the victim" but also considered his limited past criminal history before conviction. The board also noted he fled to another province while awaiting sentencing. 

The board's decision said Alcorn spent time in his community under conditions while awaiting an appeal with no reported issues. While incarcerated, he wasn't involved in any incidents and maintained institutional employment.

Alcorn was released under the conditions of not having contact with any person involved in criminal activity or being in the presence of a girl without a responsible adult who knew about his criminal history and was previously approved by the parole board. 

His federal sentence was completed on Jan. 14, the parole board said, after which the conditions no longer applied.

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

In Winnipeg, resources are also available through the police service's victim services at 204-986-6350 and the Klinic Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 204-786-8631.