A “Red Alert” is a tool SHOP uses to spread awareness and information about violent clients. The information is meant for those engaged in sex trade activities; we share information through Red Alerts so that people working in that industry can make informed decisions about the clients they see.

SHOP has received multiple reports from numerous women who do sex work; we believe they are all referring to the same violent client. Given the number, and escalating nature of violence in the reports, SHOP is issuing a “Red Alert” to warn people working in sex industry about this potentially violent client.

Initially, reports came from women who were working on Long’s Hill. The client was picking them up at that location and driving to other locations in the city where the assaults then happened in his truck. More recently, reports are coming in that a man matching the same description was physically violent with women doing indoor work. With regards to the indoor work, it was reported that the client will only meet at the worker’s location – he prefers in-call only.

The reports include both sexual and physical violence; this client has forced women to engage in sexual services without payment or consent, and he has also engaged in physical violence ranging from locking women in his vehicle, to kicking, punching, stepping on women, and in one case grabbing a woman by the hair and smashing her head off the windows and dashboard of the truck.

Vehicle: Red GMC pickup truck, possibly a ford.

Perpetrator description: Skinny to average size, with a “beer gut”, approx 140-150 lbs; medium height, approx 5’7″ to 5’8″. Depending on lighting his hair has been described as a strawberry blond/ grayish blond. He has very light greenish blue eyes, and one notable feature was that he had very blond, almost white eyelashes and eyebrows. His voice was “nasally” sounding. Numerous women said they would describe him as “strange looking” because of the eye lashes and brows, and said that he “looked very small driving the big truck”. He has a few tattoos on his arms – these are individual tattoos, spread apart, not a sleeve. He also has a little facial hair, and at one time was reported to be wearing multiple hoop earrings. He uses a three-letter name.

Location: Long’s Hill and also in-call locations.

Please call Laura or Heather at SHOP, at 771-7171 or 771-1077 for further info. Any further reports can be made anonymously to the WOW (Warn Other Workers) line 1-800-726-2743. Aside from leaving a message with information about bad dates on that line, you can also call that number 24/7 to receive support from trained sexual assault crisis response volunteers, through the Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre. All volunteers have been trained by SHOP staff, and the line is sex worker positive.