Strip club owner accused of human trafficking will have to serve four years for illegal gun and ammo possession

Mar 10, 2019 News

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With the owner of the Diamond Strip Club now being accused of human trafficking, one month after he was granted a four-year suspended sentenced, according to the laws of Guyana he will have to serve the jail time since it is now alleged that he committed another offence.
Freeman Fordyce, 41, of Lot 99 Collingswood Avenue, Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara, is accused of trafficking two Venezuelans for sexual exploitation at his club.
According to Chapter 11:05 of the Criminal Law Form Part 3. (1) Subject to the provision of this section, and section 10, where any court passes on any person a sentence of imprisonment for a term of not more than two years for an offence, it may order that the sentence shall not take effect unless, during a period specified in the order, being not less than one year or more than two years from the date of the order, such person commits in Guyana another offence punishable with imprisonment and thereafter a court having power to do so orders under section 4 that the original sentence shall take effect with or without variation of its term.
(2) A court shall not, on passing a sentence of imprisonment on any person for an offence, make an order under subsection (1) if it is proved that he has been previously convicted of any offence for which a sentence of imprisonment has been passed on him.
(3) A court shall, before it makes an order under subsection (1) in respect of a person convicted by or before it, ascertain whether that person has been previously convicted of any offence for which a sentence of imprisonment has been passed on him and for that purpose may, where it becomes necessary, defer the passing of sentence on him.
Last Friday, the trafficking in person’s matters was called in the courtroom of Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
However, Fordyce was not present to answer to the charges; hence a summons was issued for him to attend court.

Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers told the court that Fordyce’s whereabouts is presently unknown.
He added that Fordyce was released on his own recognizance (self-bail) in relation to the new charges, and was instructed to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), pending his arraignment in court.
The court heard that Fordyce failed to show up at CID and police are now looking for him.
The matter has been adjourned until March 14.
According to information, police carried out a raid at the Club Diamond last month, which led to the arrest of 15 women, all said to be foreign nationals. This was after a video circulated on social media, showed a woman jumping over a locked gate to get into the Diamond Hotel and Night Club compound.
The woman was being assisted by four of her friends who were on the other side of the fence. They were holding up the security barbed wire so that the woman could have gained entry.
Hours after the video hit social media, police raided the compound and detained the 15 women, whom investigators suspected to be victims of trafficking in persons (TIP).
The woman, Dailyn Garcia, 25, a Venezuelan, who was seen climbing the fence, was later charged for overstaying her time in Guyana. She was fined $30,000 for the offence or in default six months imprisonment.
Upon paying the fine or spending the time, Garcia will be escorted to the nearest port of exit and deported to her homeland.
In January, Fiona Hopkinson, an employee of the night club, was charged for trafficking four Venezuelan women and forcing them to work as strippers.
She was also charged for withholding the women’s travel documents.
In 2018, Hopkinson and Rodwell Dempster, another employee of the entity, were jointly charged for trafficking five Venezuelans for sexual exploitation at the same night club and hotel.
Fordyce was handed the suspended sentence recently by a City Magistrate on the illegal gun and ammo charge, after he was found guilty. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has since appealed the Magistrate’s decision.
This ruling was handed down by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty at the conclusion of the trial in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
It is alleged that Fordyce on May 5, last, at George and Princes Streets, Georgetown, had in his possession one Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol without being a licensed firearm holder at the time.
It was further alleged that, on the same day, he had in his possession 15 live rounds of 9mm ammunition without being the holder of a firearm licence.
Fordyce, who is also the proprietor of a Jewellery and Pawn Shop, had denied both charges on his first court appearance before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman.
The Magistrate ruled that after perusing the evidence presented by Police Prosecutor Sean Blackman, she was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Fordyce had the illegal gun and ammunition in his possession.
His Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes had asked the Magistrate to be lenient with his client citing that he is a prominent businessman.
It was reported that members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on the day in question, went to his Jewellery and Pawn Shop where contact was made and a search was conducted.
It was when a physical search was done on the businessman that it was discovered that he had one Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol along with 15 live 9mm ammunition concealed in his pants crotch.
Fordyce is also currently on trial for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. He was charged after a video footage showed him (Fordyce) resisting being searched and then punching Inspector Prem Narine in the face.
According to information, on the day in question, the Inspector along with other policemen went to search the club after four Venezuelan women complained that the businessman seized their passports and had threatened to kill them and their families if they refused to work as prostitutes.
It was reported that the revelation came to light when two of the entertainers escaped from the club. It was their statements that led to ranks carrying out the raid at the Strip Club.
It was while the Inspector was searching the premises that Fordyce became annoyed and allegedly punch him to his neck. The entire ordeal was recorded on surveillance camera.
The trial is currently on going before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly.

 

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