Thurston Semple to face judge, jury for two other rape matters

Jun 07, 2023 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

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Kaieteur News – Alleged serial rapist, Thurston Semple, who was jailed last year for raping a Venezuelan sex worker, is on the list of accused persons scheduled to stand trial this month.

Semple will go before a judge and jury in relation to two other rape matters.

Thirty-nine-year-old Semple, a former taxi-driver of Lot 5A, Tucville Terrace, Georgetown, is scheduled to be arraigned before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Demerara Sexual Offences court.

The first allegation is that between November 30, 2017, and on December 1, 2017, at Georgetown, he engaged in sexual penetration of a woman without her consent.

The second allegation is that between January 3, 2018, and January 4, 2018, at Georgetown, he sexually assaulted another woman.

According to reports, on January 12, 2018, Semple appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before former Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for allegedly tying up two sex workers on separate occasions and having sex with them.

Semple was not required to plead to the indictable charge.

It is alleged 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 sex acts on him.

However, after the sex acts with the sex workers, 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. However, Semple was committed to stand trial in the High Court during March 2018, for the rape of the two sex workers.

In July 2022, Semple was handed an 11-year jail sentence by Justice by Priya Sewnarine-Beharry for raping a sex worker.

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 woman actual bodily harm.

However, on March 25, 2022, 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. Despite this, he maintained his innocence.

Justice Sewnarine-Beharry then handed Semple an 11-year sentence for the rape charge and four years for the assault charge – his charges run concurrently.

Kaieteur News had reported that according to the victim, on the February 24, 2021, she was on the corner of Jenny’s Family store in front of the Nova International Hotel, Georgetown when at around 22:30 hours, Semple drove up in his vehicle and spoke with her.

He eventually made an agreement with the woman for $10,000 and as such, she left with him and they went to his residence. Upon arrival, she went into his house, sat on his bed and smoked a cigarette. The two then engaged in sexual intercourse.

However, during the sexual intercourse, the condom broke, and she replaced it but informed Semple that he only had 15 minutes remaining and if he does not finish within that time, she will leave.

In response, Semple told the victim ‘ok’ and walked into the kitchen and returned with a knife while the woman was getting dressed. He then told her, inter alia, that she is “not going anywhere.”

As such, the woman then told Semple to keep the money and she will leave in peace. However, he grabbed her hair, placed the knife to her neck, removed the condom and inserted his penis into her mouth.

The victim recounted that Semple then ordered her to perform oral sex on him and she complied.

Sometime after, she stopped, and Semple slapped her. The woman then asked Semple for some water and as he turned his back to get the said water, she scrambled her clothes and jumped through a glass window.

However, Semple ran behind her and grabbed her by her hair. The woman recounted that she was naked when he held onto her and stabbed her. She then managed to hold onto the knife but Semple then armed himself with a plastic tube filled with cement and continued to beat her.

The woman then gathered strength and jumped the fence. Semple’s neighbours promptly went to her rescue. The police were subsequently alerted and arrived some time after. The victim was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she was examined. When Semple was cautioned by the arresting officer he said, “Officer, I did have sex with her; I pay her for the service, and she refuse to do what I asked and I assaulted her in her face with a PVC pipe.”

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• Georgetown, justice, Nova International Hotel, Priya Sewnarine Beharry, Thurston Semple

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