Andrew Duffy

Sold sex only once, Junger says

Former police constable Gordon Junger says he agreed to act as a male prostitute on one occasion in an effort to persuade his girlfriend to have an abortion.

Roma Langford, a high-priced call girl, was three month pregnant on Dec. 5, 1989, when Junger offered sex for money to an undercover police officer in a videotaped sting operation.

"I did not want to be the father of her fourth illegitimate child." Junger told a provincial inquiry yesterday. "I did not want her to bring this child - and I'm not even sure it was my child - into this type of lifestyle. I didn't want to accept any future responsibility for this."

An hour before Junger took the witness stand yesterday, Langford collapsed in a staff room at the Elmwood Club, where the inquiry is being held. Langford had been on the witness stand since Tuesday and was waiting to resume her testimony when she fainted. She was removed from the Elm St. building on a stretcher, her face covered by a blanket, and taken to hospital, where tests showed she was suffering from an irregular heartbeat, said her lawyer, Greg Brodsky. She was not expected to remain over night.

The inquiry is examining the conduct of Metro's internal affairs unit and its handling of the Junger case.

Junger, 30, now unemployed, took the witness stand after Langford's dramatic exit. The inquiry has heard that Langford set the trap for the police sting operation by telling Junger a woman wanted his services at the Sheraton Hotel on the night of Dec. 5, 1989. Junger agreed to go.

In their phone conversation that day, Langford said she was willing to consider an abortion, saying their dog was family enough. Her three other children lived elsewhere. Langford later decided not to have the abortion and gave birth to a boy.

"I was in somewhat of a good mood that day and drove to the Sheraton Hotel," Junger conceded. Before going to the designated hotel room, he bought a pack of condoms and some baby oil. He then stopped in a washroom and looked at himself in the mirror.

"I said to myself, let's see what it's all about, let's try it." Half an hour later when police rushed into the hotel room, Junger said he "almost blacked out."

Internal affairs detectives took Junger back to Langford's Sarborough home and executed a search warrant. Langford had told them Junger had hashish in the house; the officers found it in a kitchen drawer.

At the time, Junger - unaware Langford had set him up - admitted the drugs belonged to him. He was charged with possession. However, Junger yesterday vehemently denied any involvement, with the drugs and said he was only protecting Langford by claiming the hash as his own.

The former morality officer flatly rejected Langford's allegations - made from the witness box - that he was an active male prostitute. But he admitted he helped to finance an advertisement for the Pleasure Can Be Yours escort service in NOW magazine in November, 1989.

It was Langford's idea to create the escort service, he testified. Junger said he went along with the suggestion of advertising in NOW to "appease" Langford. She said she could earn $100,000 a year by running an escort service while staying home with their newborn child, Junger said.

"I was acting, going along with her in the hope she would consider not going through with this pregnancy," Junger testified. "The relationship was going nowhere and I wanted to dissolve it." By agreeing to the escort service, Junger believed he would be able to buy some time and persuade Langford "to see things my way."

"I said, "Sure, let's do this together, but let's not bring a child into this." On Jan. 19, 1990, Junger signed a resignation agreement with the force in which the police agree not to pursue the drug charge against him and to destroy evidence related to his dealings with Langford.