A Winnipeg man arrested after he unwittingly offered a 16-year-old boy money for sex says he will look for his next date in a bar.
“If I want to meet anybody it will be in a bar because I will know they are 18 years old,” the 47-year-old man told court Wednesday.
The man pleaded guilty to one count of procuring a prostitute and was sentenced to one year supervised probation.
Court heard the man had recently broken up with his boyfriend when he walked up to a teen waiting at a bus stop and said “I don’t usually do this ... but give me a call sometime” before passing him a note and walking away.
“I’d like to have sex with you,” read the note, which included the man’s real name and phone number. In a postscript the man added: “I’m even willing to pay to have sex with you. It’s the only way I know to get (your) attention.”
The youth gave the note to his father, who notified police.
Court heard the youth is tall and muscular and looks older than his age. Crown attorney Terry McComb said there was no evidence to suggest the man believed the youth was under 18.
“This is not a small, petite youthful person,” McComb said.
The youth “didn’t take it very seriously — he just thought it was very weird and funny,” McComb said. “But his father was obviously concerned, and we were as well.”
Defence lawyer Mike Law said the man was re-entering the dating scene after breaking up with his boyfriend and was encountering repeated rejection.
“He was lonely and despondent and thought if he offered payment he would be less likely to be rejected,” Law said.
The man told court he was attracted to the youth because he looked “exactly” like his ex-boyfriend.
“It was a big mistake and it won’t happen again,” he said. “I learned my lesson: Don’t write notes. Period.”
The man said he has had “nothing but heartache” from the gay community since coming out 30 years ago.
“I’ve been a nice person to everybody but I’ve been battered, I’ve been used,” he said. “All I want to do is fit into society.”
I feel sympathy towards this man, as it must be challenging to be homosexual and have society look at you as deviant and abnormal. He wants to fit into society. That last quote really struck me. It's so sad that society doesn't accept people who choose to be different than the mainstream. We should be accepting of all people, regardless of their sexuality, gender, race, etc. I completely understand why this man did this act. He was lonely and wanted a new boyfriend and was attracted to the young male. He probably didn't even know that the boy was a minor. This man just wanted to be accepted, not rejected. I feel this man should have received a conditional discharge which would leave him with no criminal record, but I would also like to know any other mitigating factors and if he has a previous record. Probation is the next best sanction.
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