Tucville rapist…Lawyer wants psychiatric not psychological evaluation for his client

Jun 15, 2022 News

– sentencing deferred to June 28

Kaieteur News – The lawyer representing convicted rapist, Thurston Semple, 38, a taxi-driver of Lot 5A, Tucville Terrace, Georgetown, has requested that a psychiatric evaluation be conducted on his client rather than a psychological evaluation.

Convicted rapist, Thurston Semple

With the request of attorney-at-law, Everton Singh-Lammy, Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry in the Demerara High Court, deferred the sentencing to June 28, and ordered that a psychiatric evaluation be conducted.
Semple had denied that between February 24 and February 25, 2021, at Tucville, Georgetown, he engaged in sexual penetration with a 30-year-old Venezuelan woman without her consent. He had also denied that on the same day and at the same location, he caused the said woman actual bodily harm.
On Friday March 25, after two hours of deliberating, a mixed 12-member jury returned with two guilty verdicts, finding Semple guilty of battering and raping the woman who at the time was a sex worker. The case was prosecuted by State Counsel, Nafeeza Baig, Muntaz Ali and Latifah Elliot.
Justice Sewnarine-Beharry had deferred Semple’s sentencing and ordered that a psychological evaluation be conducted on him. She had also ordered that a probation report be prepared in his favour.
However, last Friday, when the matter came up, Semple’s lawyer asked that a psychiatric report be prepared in favour of his client rather than a psychological report that was previously ordered by the court.
It should be noted that a psychiatric assessment is more specific, as it focuses on mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. On the other hand, a psychological evaluation looks at attitude, emotions, thoughts, and behaviour.
Notably, there are media reports of Semple’s past indiscretions. Reports indicate that Semple was charged for allegedly engaging in sexual penetration with a woman without her consent on August 31, 2017, at Quamina Street, Georgetown.
Also, on January 12, 2018, Semple was charged for allegedly tying up two sex workers on separate occasions and having sex with them.

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