Tony Humby is pictured at provincial court in St. John’s this past week. Humby is on trial for 72 charges of sexual violence involving 11 youths. (Ryan Cooke/CBC)
WARNING: This article contains details of alleged sexual abuse.
A fourth complainant took the stand in the Tony Humby trial on Friday, testifying that he had sexual encounters with Humby about 12 to 15 times, and was intoxicated every time.
They began when he was around 13 years old, and ended when he was 17. Humby was in his late 40s and early 50s at the time of the alleged offences.
The man was a reluctant witness in court, saying he wished he had never shared his story with the authorities.
Crown prosecutor Deidre Badcock asked him about his experience after going to the police.
“Absolutely, extremely traumatizing,” the man replied.Â
“This has changed me. I’ll never be the same. If I could go back in time I would not come forward with this.”
The complainant said he was moved to speak with Royal Newfoundland Constabulary investigators as soon as Humby and Humby’s neighbour Bruce Escott were arrested in April 2023.
“I knew it was Tony and Bruce before I even clicked the story. And when I did, it sparked something in me that I couldn’t sit back and wait any longer.”
The man on the stand Friday stressed repeatedly that he didn’t want to be there.
He testified that he never intended for charges to be laid — he just wanted to share his story with police to help support other complainants.
Escott and Humby were “sexual predators,” the complainant told the court.Â
“They take advantage of youths, throwaways in the system … to their gain,” he said.
He described himself as a “lost, lonely kid” at the time he met Humby. He said they often hung out in groups with other youths present. He believes some of them were also abused by Humby and Escott.
“There’s those kinds of stories that are haunting,” he testified. “I always felt villainized for my connections to these guys and I’m not a predator. I didn’t introduce anybody to be abused.”
Mark Gruchy is the defence lawyer for accused sexual predator Tony Humby. (Ryan Cooke/CBC)
On cross examination, defence lawyer Mark Gruchy repeatedly questioned the complainant over his faded memories.
Gruchy also took aim at his prior statements to police, where he contradicted himself on whether one specific instance was masturbation or oral sex.
At one point, the man replied: “Does it make it not sexual abuse? It doesn’t mean I didn’t wake up on that couch being sexually abused.”
Gruchy also indicated Humby may testify in the case, and deny the complainant ever stayed over at his house.
The man said that would be a lie, and began listing out names of family members and close friends of Humby’s. He asked Gruchy how he would know all that if they didn’t have a close relationship.
Trial scheduled to resume later this monthÂ
Friday’s testimony brought the curtain down on the first block of the trial — seven days over two weeks.
There will now be a two-week break in proceedings before they resume on Sept. 22 and continue for five days.
The trial will then go on hiatus for a month before returning to court in late October.
In total, Humby is facing 89 charges.
The ongoing trial relates to 72 counts of sexual violence involving 11 youths.
The other 17 charges remain pending.
Late last year, Humby was charged with seven counts of trafficking persons under the age of 18.
In early 2025, eight additional charges were filed against Humby, related to a 12th youth complainant.
Separately, Humby has also been charged with two counts of sexual assault for incidents in the fall of 2023, while he was on remand at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.
If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database.