The victim of a sex trafficker in British Columbia says her face “was unrecognizable for months” after she was assaulted and sexually exploited by the woman.
Jennifer Stephens pleaded guilty last year to multiple charges, including assault causing bodily harm, unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon and several other offences related to sex trafficking of a person under 18.
Crown lawyer Catherine Rose read the victim impact statement to a B.C. Supreme Court judge in New Westminster today during the woman’s sentencing hearing.
Related articles:
The statement said the victim, who can’t be named, suffered a concussion, severe bruising and cuts around her body and her face.
The statement said she suffers from severe panic and anxiety attacks and nightmares that she said feel so real, she can’t tell if she’s “awake or sleeping.”
The prosecution has asked for a 13-year prison sentence for Stephens, who the court heard yesterday inflicted violent beatings on the woman and boasted of a client list of 500 people that she refused to sell to other “pimps.”
The court is expected to hear from the second victim, who was 13 years old when she was trafficked, later Tuesday.
Police in Langley, B.C., started investigating the case in February 2023, beginning with a phone number that was linked to the 13-year-old girl who had been trafficked in Alberta and Kelowna, B.C.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2026.
Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press