Full Breakdown
Sentencing Marks a Precedent-Setting Human Trafficking Case in Saskatchewan
By Drooid · · How we work
Sentencing Overview
In a Saskatoon provincial court hearing, Judge Miguel Martinez sentenced Sohel Haider to the mandatory minimum of four years’ imprisonment for human trafficking, and Mohammed Masum to 14 years for combined human-trafficking and sexual-assault offences. Both men were ordered to pay restitution to the victim—$5,885.16 from Haider and $12,268 from Masum, totaling more than $17,000.
Background and Victim Impact
The victim, identified in court documents only as S.K. to protect her identity, is a Bangladeshi woman who arrived in Saskatchewan in 2022 after being promised a restaurant job as a temporary foreign worker. Instead, she was moved among the defendants’ establishments in Gull Lake, Tisdale and Elrose, forced to work up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, with little pay and without a valid work permit. She later fled with outside assistance. In her impact statement, S.K. described lasting fear, loss of trust, and the damage to her family’s honour in Bangladesh.
Legal Details and Restitution
The Crown’s case covered conduct from early 2022 through March 31 2023. Prosecutor Leslie Dunning argued that the mandatory minimum for human trafficking is four years, but sought a total of 15 years for Masum and five-and-a-half years for Haider, citing the defendants’ positions of trust and Masum’s sexual exploitation. Defense counsel Zachary Carter asked for a seven-to-nine-year term for Masum, calling it “substantial,” while Chris Gratton urged the court to apply only the mandatory minimum for Haider, noting an absence of aggravating factors. Judge Martinez accepted the minimum for Haider and imposed a 14-year term on Masum, also ordering restitution for unpaid wages.
Official Statements
Senior Crown prosecutor Leslie Dunning emphasized the case’s broader significance:
“We didn’t cite any Saskatchewan human trafficking cases, all of what we cited mainly came out of Ontario. So this is one of the precedent-setting cases for human trafficking in the province,” — Dunning. Get
He added that the sentencing will guide future human-trafficking prosecutions in Saskatchewan, where prior case law has largely been drawn from Ontario.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The two news outlets differ on the spelling of one defendant’s name: CBC refers to him as Sohel Haider, while Global News uses Sohel Hadiar. Both sources agree on the sentencing outcomes and the victim’s circumstances, but the name discrepancy remains unresolved in public reporting. No additional details about the defendants’ immigration status or prior criminal history were provided.