A Saskatoon courtroom heard a Bangladeshi woman’s account of being exploited by two men convicted of human trafficking, as their lawyers made sentencing arguments. “I feel like I was a product and he was selling me as a customer,” the woman wrote in her victim impact statement, reflecting on her experience of being moved between restaurants. The woman cannot be named due to a publication ban. In August, Mohammad Masum and Sohel Haider were found guilty of human trafficking for exploiting the woman while she worked at restaurants in Gull Lake, Tisdale and Elrose. Masum was also found guilty of three counts of sexual assault. The offences occurred between Aug. 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023. During the trial, court heard the woman came from Bangladesh to Toronto on a visitor visa, with plans to remain in Canada as a permanent resident. After responding to a job advertisement, Haider brought her to Saskatchewan to work at his restaurant in Gull Lake. She was later taken to Masum’s restaurant in Tisdale and then to Haider’s second restaurant in Elrose. The woman worked long hours at the restaurants six days a week for little to no pay before getting help to leave, court heard. The woman described how the experience had changed her, saying she was once independent and travelled to other countries on her own. “Now I am scared of talking to people or taking up space,” she wrote. She said she felt trapped because she was alone and afraid to leave, fearing she could get stranded outside in the winter and freeze to death. The woman said she worries about her husband and family in Bangladesh, because she was told Haider had political influence there. She said she could not speak about the sexual assaults involving Masum, because women are often blamed for sexual assault in her community. She also said word of what happened had reached her community in Bangladesh and people were now treating her family poorly. Crown prosecutor Leslie Dunning cited the woman’s loss of self-confidence and fear of independence as aggravating factors in Haider’s case. She noted his health issues, lack of a prior criminal record and family support as mitigating factors. The Crown is seeking a sentence of five and a half years for Haider. With credit for time served he would have about five years and two months left to serve. Dunning is also seeking $5,885 in restitution. Haider’s lawyer, Chris Gratton, argued his client should receive the minimum sentence of four years, adding Haider cannot afford to pay restitution. In Masum’s case, Dunning cited the exploitation of the woman for labour and sexual gratification, as well as psychological abuse through threats involving her immigration status as aggravating factors. The Crown is seeking a 15-year sentence for Masum. With credit for time served he would have about 14 years and eight months left to serve. The Crown is also seeking a 20-year sex offender registration order and $12,268 in restitution. Masum was previously represented by Michael Owens but recently hired defence lawyers Brian Pfefferle and Zachary Carter. Carter pointed to letters of support from Masum’s family and mosque community. He said Masum, 45, is a Canadian citizen with teenage children, and the case has been difficult for his family. The defence is seeking a sentence of seven to nine years and argued the court should apply the principle of totality, to ensure the overall sentence is not unduly long or harsh. Masum and Haider were given an opportunity to address the court after lawyers made their arguments, but declined. Judge Miguel Martinez is expected to deliver his sentencing decision later Thursday.
