‘She wasn’t allowed to leave’: Former Maloney employee testifies in labour trafficking trial

A former employee at Amber Maloney’s therapy centre testified for the Crown against Amber and Lauriston Maloney in their human trafficking trial.

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A former employee at Amber Maloney’s Beating the Odds Autism Therapy Centre testified for the Crown against Amber and Lauriston Maloney in their human trafficking trial. They are accused of exploiting a woman who worked for them, who was also involved in a sexual relationship with the Maloneys.

The woman told the court she witnessed a dramatic shift in the complainant’s behaviour as she faced unrealistic expectations while working as Amber’s assistant.

She testified the complainant became depressed and isolated as tensions grew inside the business based out of the couple’s Essa Township home.

“It was always ‘Amber needs me to do this, Amber wants me to do this. I had to do this for Amber,‘” she recalled the complainant telling her. She testified the complainant, who was unlicensed to work as a therapist often had to cover the shifts of absent registered therapists. “She was told that she had to take the client,” the witness said.

She told the court, the arguments intensified when the Maloneys introduced another woman to their sexual relationship. The court heard from a different woman Monday who testified she too was one of three women the Maloneys selected to have work, live and sleep with as part of a five-person relationship.

The witness recalled one incident when the complainant was yelled at by Amber and physically assaulted by Lauriston leaving the complainant with bruises on her face.

She testified seeing the complainant being verbally berated by Amber and was “terrified.”

“She told me, ‘I can’t leave, they won’t let me.”

“You could see a depression kicking in.” She explained. “It seemed like there were more and more arguments.”

The woman told the court Amber an absent owner who placed the burden of the business on the complainant.

The complainant also faced continued cross-examination from Lauriston Maloney’s lawyer Anthony Bryant. He asked the complainant about her violent history with the Maloneys and cited several incidents when she became enraged and hit the Maloneys.

The complainant testified she feared for her safety around Lauriston and once used a baton on him that she carried to the Maloney family cottage to protect herself.

The woman testified it was at the Maloneys’ cottage where Lauriston assaulted her again and kicked her out of the cottage.

The matter returns to court Friday in Bradford to schedule at least two more future trial dates.