Magistrate remands alleged Serial rapist to prison

Mar 06, 2021 News

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Kaieteur News – Alleged serial rapist, 37-year-old, Thurston Semple, of Lot 5A, Tucville Terrace, Georgetown, was yesterday slapped with his fourth rape charge, and remanded to prison.
Semple, a taxi-driver, who is no stranger to the courts, appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan.
He was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which alleged that between February 24, 2021, and February 25, 2021, at Lot 5A, Tucville Terrace, he engaged in sexual penetration with a woman, without her consent.
The police prosecutor made objections to bail being granted to Semple, citing the fact that he was previously charged for raping three sex workers and was committed to stand trial in the High Court for two of the charges. The prosecutor also added that if Semple is granted bail, he might cause harm to the witness, since after this incident occurred, another woman came forward with similar allegations against him.
However, Semple told the court what the prosecutor said is a ‘lie’ and that he was arrested for a domestic violence allegation. He said for some reason or the other, he was charged with rape. He also stated that he has no knowledge about the other cases that are being levelled against him.
Kaieteur News had reported that on February 24, 2021, around 23:30 hrs. at Robb and Cummings Streets, Georgetown, the woman was standing on the road smoking a cigarette, when Semple drove up beside her and offered her a job. It was reported that the woman agreed to have sexual intercourse with Semple for $10, 000. After the agreement was made, the woman got into Semple’s car and he reportedly took her to his home, where they had sex.
However, Semple and the woman later got into a misunderstanding, which allegedly caused him to remove the condom from his penis. He reportedly armed himself with a knife, then allegedly raped and sodomized the woman at knifepoint. The woman managed to escape from Semple by breaking and jumping through the louvre windows at the front of his house. It is alleged that Semple then came after the woman and repeatedly battered her in his yard. An alarm was raised and neighbours managed to intervene.
The police was called in and an ambulance subsequently arrived on the scene. The woman was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), where she was hospitalized for three days. She reportedly suffered a fractured rib, lacerations to the face, and multiple cuts.
Semple was later rearrested and subsequently charged with rape. However, Semple has not yet been charged for allegedly battering the woman.
Additionally, the investigation is ongoing into the allegations made against Semple by another woman that he allegedly abducted, raped and battered. Chief Magistrate McLennan, remanded Semple to prison and the matter was adjourned to March 11, 2021.
According to reports, during August 2017, Semple was charged for escaping from lawful custody, but that charge was dismissed by Magistrate, Dylon Bess, in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
That charge had alleged that on August 31, 2017, while being in lawful custody at the Agricola Police Outpost, pending investigation of an alleged rape and robbery, he escaped lawful custody. The Magistrate had told the court that the prosecution was unable to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt, citing that insufficient evidence was led by the prosecution team. He added that the accused was also charged under the wrong section of the law.
Kaieteur News had also reported that on January 12, 2018, Semple appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan, for allegedly tying up two sex workers on separate occasions and having sex with them.
The first charge alleged that between November 30, 2017 and on December 1, 2017 at Georgetown, he engaged in sexual penetration of a woman, without her consent. It was also reported that between January 3, 2018 and January 4, 2018 at Georgetown, he sexually assaulted another woman. Semple was not required to plead to the indictable charge.
It was reported that Semple picked up the sex workers on separate occasions and took them to his home, where he agreed to pay them $10,000 each for performing sexual acts on him. Following this, Semple tied their hands and feet, placed them in his car and took them back at the location where he met them without paying for their service.
The Chief Magistrate, McLennan, had granted Semple bail in the sum of $400,000.
Semple was committed to stand trial in the High Court during May 2018, for the rape of the two sex workers. However, while he was still out on bail, weeks after he was committed, he was slapped with another rape charge.
According to reports, on August 31, 2017, at Quamina Street, Georgetown, he engaged in sexual penetration with a woman without her consent.
He was not required to plead to the indictable offence. According to the facts of that charge, on the day in question, Semple met the woman who is said to be a sex worker at Palm Court and carried her to a hotel, where he had sex with her against her will.
The woman then went and reported the matter to the police and the defendant was arrested for the offence. Even though the police prosecutor objected to bail being granted to the defendant, citing that he was recently committed to stand trial in the High Court, the Magistrate granted Semple bail in the sum of $100,000 with the condition that he lodge his passport at the court and stay away from the virtual complainant until the completion of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI).

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