A woman from Missouri has testified that a Montreal man kept her against her will for nearly six months and used her as a sex slave.

Evgueni Mataev, 39, and four co-defendants face several charges in connection with holding the alleged victim against her will, engaging in sex trafficking and sexual assault with a weapon.

The woman, whose name is protected by a publication ban, appeared by video conference in a Montreal courtroom today.

The alleged victim said she was too scared to be in the courtroom with Mataev.

The 12 members of the jury heard that she drove up to Canada from the U.S. with her fiancé nearly three years ago. She claims he was allegedly trying to avoid criminal charges in the U.S.

The witness said she got a job working as a dancer in a Montreal club, but her fiancé asked her to "take extras" or perform sexual favours in return for money.

She told the court her fiancé beat her violently after she refused to co-operate with his demands.

The woman alleged her fiancé once slammed her face into a freezer door which subsequently broke some of her teeth and injured her face.

She said the man then ran off with the couple's baby and another woman.

The witness said she called police and had her fiancé arrested and taken back to the U.S.

Six months of hell

The woman said she later met Mataev at a club in Montreal. She testified that she thought he was an "amazing person" but the encounter took a turn for the worse.

The 12 jury members heard that the accused allegedly abused and beat the woman and also forced her to consume cocaine.

She said she was also forced to do whatever Mataev wanted her to do, including engaging in prostitution and shoplifting.

The woman testified he also threatened her with a nine-millimeter handgun while they were sitting at a kitchen table.

She alleged Mataev missed the mark when he pulled the trigger.