Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 24/98) - Credibility is the issue today, as a jury decides the fate of a man facing sex charges flowing from the Wing Lee gambling investigation.

The fate of another man implicated in the same investigation was decided in NWT Supreme Court Monday.

Timothy Vornbrock, 39, pleaded guilty to three charges of trying to obtain sex from someone under 18, one count of sexual assault, and one count of trafficking in cocaine.

He was sentenced to two years less a day followed by two years of probation.

Though Justice C. Brooker said the sentence was "at the very low end," of the sanctions available for the crimes. He noted the assault amounted to touching a minor outside her clothing without threats or force, and Vornbrock's trafficking consisted of merely of giving cocaine to individuals.

A jury of seven men and eight women was expected to begin deliberating today on the fate of Ken Chu, also known as Kenny Pasta.

The city restaurant chef pleaded not guilty to four charges he paid, and tried to pay for sex with a minor.

Yesterday a 14-year-old witness for the defence said Chu paid for sex with her twice, $200 the first time and $400 to $500 the second a week later.

"We would just go to the room and sleep together and that was it," she told the court.

The second of two Crown witnesses, now 16, said she once asked Chu for $175 for bus fare to leave town. Chu, she said, responded, "What are you going to do for me?" The girl said she refused to sleep with him, but said she would either have sex or pay him back when she returned to Yellowknife.

The alleged sex occurred, said the girls, at Chu's apartment, where they went on several occasions for beer and to borrow money.

Chu, speaking through a Cantonese interpreter, said young girls would occasionally visit his apartment, but they were there to see one of the younger occupants of the apartment.

He admitted to giving them money, but said he never asked for or received sex.

But both defence witnesses have criminal records. Under cross-examination the 14-year-old admitted to being convicted of assault causing bodily harm, assault, assaulting a police officer and several breeches of probation orders.

Under cross-examination from defence lawyer Tom Boyd, she admitted to using cocaine and drinking. On weekends, she said, she would sometimes go through 4-5 grams of cocaine.

The 16-year-old was convicted of possession of stolen property.

Lawyers were to give closing arguments this morning.

Both cases flowed from a gambling investigation of Wing Toon Lee, who is scheduled to go to trial July 6 to face a series of sex-related charges.