Former London Uber driver gets 18 months for trying to lure teen girls

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It should have been a simple, safe ride home.

Instead, once five young teen girls were in the Uber, Bradley Turner asked them if he could be their personal driver, or, perhaps they might be up for “a sugar daddy and sugar baby relationship.”

He gave them his phone number. He outlined a plan for sex in exchange for money. He contacted two of them by text suggesting terms of the agreement and requested to meet in person. He sent one of them cash.

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But after realizing Turner was serious and their safety was at risk, and before the relationship progressed to any sexual encounters, the teens reported what happened to one of their teachers.

This week, Turner, 57, was sentenced to 18 months in jail and two years of probation after pleading guilty at a previous court date to obtaining sexual services for consideration from a person younger than 18.

Turner, who had no criminal record, had been an Uber driver for three years. An Uber spokesperson told The London Free Press shortly after he was charged that he no longer had access to the platform.

Superior Court Justice Michael Carnegie heard the pleas and facts in the Ontario Court of Justice before he was elevated to the higher court several months ago. Turner had indicated early on he wanted to plead guilty and his pleas were entered last November.

Given the widespread use of Uber and other ride-share apps, the case called out for the court to address public concerns about safety surrounding them. An agreed statement of facts outlined what happened.

After picking the teens up from a party on June 24, 2022, Turner, the court heard, proposed they enter into a relationship with him where they would be paid for sexual services.

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He asked for their ages and they told him they were 16 and 17, but in reality they were 14 and 15. He promised they could make about $200 an hour and would be debt-free once they finished school. He said he wanted to be the primary “sugar daddy.”

One of the teens secretly recorded parts of the conversations on her cellphone. In those snippets, Turner was heard offering his phone number and asking them to send their photos. He explained what a sugar daddy was. One of the teens, who said she was 17, asked if the relationship would be legal and was assured it was.

He told them, if their parents found out, to say he was an Uber driver who would give lifts for cash.

Two days later, Turner entered into a text message conversation with one of the girls. The teen asked what they would do if they met. The response was “what all sugar daddies and sugar babies do.”

During the conversation, the girl repeatedly asked Turner to send her money for Uber Eats, requesting $100. Turner sent her $30 through an e-transfer, and in return, she sent him a photo of her face. For more money, she offered to send photos of her feet, but Turner was more interested in working out a schedule for hour-long meetings, two to four times a month.

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She asked for more money to buy some new clothes, but Turner said they would have to meet first. He was persistent and once she realized he was serious, she blocked his number.

Another teen from the group began texting him the same day, and Turner wanted the same arrangement, two to four meetings a month and a picture of her face. The teen was concerned and suggested her boyfriend wouldn’t be happy with her. Turner told her the boyfriend didn’t need to know.

The teen told Turner she would think about it. Turner agreed to given her some time but still pressed her for a photo. She ignored him.

On Monday, June 26, 2022, the first day back to school after first encountering Turner, the girls told a teacher what happened. The teacher told a parent, who contacted London police.

Turner contacted one of the teens by text on July 1, 2022, asking her about how her long weekend was shaping up. She didn’t respond.

Meanwhile, the police were able to confirm, through the teens’ Uber account, what vehicle Turner drove, his employment record, the details of the ride that night, the e-transfer of $30 to the girl and his telephone records. He was arrested during a traffic stop on July 5, 2022.

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Turner told the police he recalled picking up the teens, giving them his phone number, but said he thought they were 18 years old. He confirmed he asked for their photos to attach to their phone contact and he sent one of them money, but he couldn’t remember if he asked them to be “sugar babies.”

But an examination of Turner’s cellphone showed he had the teens’ contacts, had sent text messages, and he had been in conversations with other potential “sugar babies.”

The court learned he had been messaging a friend in May and June 2022 about other young girls he was seeing and had asked the friend if he wanted to be set up.

One of the teens wrote a victim impact statement describing how she is fearful and unable to trust older men. She said she has trouble sleeping and suffers from a sense of insecurity and lost innocence. She originally had thought the situation was a joke, but now finds it difficult to move on from it.

Turner is married and has a supportive family who described him as socially awkward, but kind and caring. A psychological assessment showed he has some autistic symptoms that had never been diagnosed. He has sought counselling and expressed to the court his remorse for his “bad decisions.”

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Assistant Crown attorney Heather Palin suggested a maximum jail sentence of two years less a day and two years of probation. Defence lawyer Karl Toews argued for a nine-month sentence and two years of probation.

Carnegie decided the fit sentence was 18 months in jail, followed by two years of probation. Turner’s name will be added to the sex offender registry for 29 years and he is prohibited for five years from working or volunteering in any position of authority involving children younger than 16.

He also was ordered not to communicate with the teens who just wanted a ride home.

jsims@postmedia.com

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