More complainants come forward in Halifax-area human trafficking case

Two more people have come forward to say they are victims of human trafficking involving three Halifax-area men, bringing the total number of complainants to eight.

Crown prosecutor Josie McKinney said Tuesday the alleged victims range in age from their early teens to their early 20s, and she said most of them are youths.

The case against Adam Ray Greenlaw, 40, Shane Jason Mahar, 49, and Richard Walter Beaver, 33, was in Nova Scotia provincial court in Halifax Tuesday morning.

Beaver is still in the process of getting a lawyer, so matters were put over to next month. He and Mahar are free on conditions.

Greenlaw has agreed to remain in jail for now. He appeared by video link from jail. Beaver appeared in person while Mahar was represented by his lawyer.

The charges against the three include trafficking a person under the age of 18. Greenlaw faces a slew of other charges including sexual assault, sexual interference and assault with a weapon.

Police first learned of the allegations in January. The alleged offences cover a period from May 2021 to April of this year.

"Human trafficking files usually are quite complicated," McKinney said outside court. "But certainly with the sheer number of charges and the number of complainants, I expect it to be quite complex."

She would not say what the connection is among the three men, but she said the Crown intends to conduct just one trial.