The young man put it this way to the police officer: Halifax lawyer Billy Sparks had done more for him than even his own mother. He'd taken him golfing and to the casino, paid for food and beer, and let him sleep on the couch when he needed a place to stay.

But in August 2023, the young man shared a secret with the constable, whom he had come to trust. For about two years, he said, Sparks had also been extorting him, requesting explicit photos and videos in exchange for representing him in criminal cases.

Sparks, 52, killed himself earlier this year in the south-end Halifax duplex where he lived, just days after police searched the home, which doubled as a law office, as they investigated allegations he had groomed, extorted and sexually assaulted vulnerable clients with little money.