Graph Legend
8 Events
2 Places
4 People
2 Orgs
6 Titles
November 23–27 Toronto Six men […]
When
1981-11-23 – 1981-11-27
Description
November 23–27 Toronto Six men charged with being keepers of the Richmond Street Health Emporium pleaded not guilty before Provincial Court Judge F.J. McMahon. Testimony from undercover policemen during the trial revealed the existence of "Operation Soap," a large-scale police investigation into "criminal activity in the gay community." Trials of men arrested on bawdy house offences continued through December 1981, and later. One after the other, the alleged found-ins and keepers of common bawdy houses entered not-guilty pleas. In one trial, on December 11, 1981, Provincial Court Judge C.H. Paris asked Crown Attorney Stan Berger to consider dropping charges against found-ins from the February 5 bath raids, as the cases relating to not-guilty pleas were beginning to clog the courts. On January 11, 1982, Brian Rhodes, the former manager of the Richmond Street Health Emporium, pleaded guilty to being a keeper of a common bawdy house. His plea was linked to a plea bargaining deal, and charges against the five other men charged as keepers were dropped. On March 4, 1982, Provincial Court Judge McMahon sentenced Rhodes to a fine of $2,000 or six months in jail.
