An ultra-violent pimp who put an 18-year-old woman through an ordeal has been sentenced to four years in prison. Eli Barahona Madrid hit, choked and whipped his victim several times. He even laughed at her when she was seriously injured.
Posted at 2:03 p.m.
The 26-year-old Montrealer pleaded guilty last week to numerous charges: pimping, false imprisonment, assault causing injury, death threats and obstruction of justice. Crimes committed in 2022 in Montreal and Ontario, where the victim was forced into prostitution.
It was on the social network Instagram that Eli Barahona Madrid met his victim in the winter of 2022. She was then 18 years old. The young man suggests that she work as an escort, as she wants to earn money. She accepts, but on certain conditions which will not be respected.
Eli Barahona Madrid takes care of announcements and communications with “customers”. Initially, he shares half of the winnings with her, but he ends up keeping the money. The young woman will be exploited for months.
When the victim doesn’t make enough money, Eli Barahona Madrid yells at him and forces him to sleep with other “clients”. Once, the young woman had enough. She manages to leave the hotel with the help of a “client”. However, she ends up returning to the pimp, as she is penniless.
Eli Barahona Madrid is a jealous, angry and controlling man. Once, he learned that a “client” had three sexual exchanges with the victim, even though he only paid once. The executioner then hits the woman three times in the stomach. On another occasion, he spat on her and threw her out of the vehicle.
Some episodes are extremely violent. Jealous, Eli Barahona Madrid hits the woman on the nose and smashes her head against a door. Even though she is bloodied, he continues to hit her. She tries to escape outside, wearing only underwear, but he catches her and beats her. There is a pool of blood on the ground.
When she returns to the apartment, he forces her to sleep on the floor. He looks at her and bursts out laughing.
Very jealous on another occasion, Eli Barahona Madrid whips the victim with a belt. Another time, he strangled her with both hands to the point where she could no longer breathe. When she tries to escape, her tormentor holds her by the hair.
Even after the victim filed a complaint, Eli Barahona Madrid maintained his control over the woman. He encouraged her to make a false statement to the police.
As he has been detained since his arrest in December 2022, he has already served the equivalent of three years in prison. He therefore only has one year left in detention. He will be subject to three years’ probation.
Me Véronique Warthold represented the public prosecutor, while Me Maëva Simancas defended the offender.
