Mother testifies at son's pimp trial

A man accused of running a prostitution business in downtown St. John's is bipolar and has attention-deficit disorder, his mother has told a Newfoundland Supreme Court trial.

Eileen Newman testified Mondaythat shechecked on her son, Shawn Newman, almost daily at his Mount Pearl residence because of his conditions, which also include a sleeping disorder.

The 33-year-old is on trial for 10 counts,including charges of living off the avails of prostitution.

The court has already heard sobering testimony, including two teenage girls who saidthey worked for Newman on blocks of Duckworth Street in St. John's.

The defence opened its case on Monday with witnesseswhocontradicted prosecution evidence.

Eileen Newman told the court about living arrangements ather son's residence,a house owned byhis parents. She said one teenage girl who had been living there had said she was 17.

Eileen Newman said that when she found out that the girl — who testified last week that she worked for Newman as a prostitute, and was paid not in cash but with crack cocaine— was only 14, she wanted her out of the house.

The defence attempted to discredit the testimony that the girl and another witness have already provided.

Defence witness Andrea Halley, who said she knew Newman since junior high school, had also lived at Newman's house.

She told the court that one of the girls was sexually attracted to Newman, and that it was clear the girl was heavily into drugs and was at times incoherent.

Halleyspoke about how the other girl had lied about her age, and had once confided in her about her life, including how her own sister had forced her into prostitution for drug money.

That testimony contradicts the girl's evidence. She had earlier told the court she had never told Halley about her personal history.