Two commercial sex workers ended up in court yesterday before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson jointly charged with assault following a fall-out over a client.

The women, both in their early twenties, decided against pursing the matter saying they no longer wanted to offer evidence in the case. “We want to settle it”, one of the women told the court and they were later released and each placed on a one-year bond.

Initially when the case was called one of the women pleaded not guilty and the other said she was guilty with explanation. One of them then proceeded to tell the court that the matter came about because a man wanted to buy them KFC chicken. They both claimed to be greens vendors at Stabroek Market, but changed their story after the prosecutor questioned whether they had lied to the police about their profession.

The prosecutor later told the court that on December 30, 2009 at South Central Hotel one of the women got a job and this apparently angered the other. He said the one who was offended urged the man to stay away from his first choice because “she legs dirty”. He said the woman who got the job responded by calling the other a “square barrel” and a fight later broke out.

One of the women, who told the court that she is a mother of five children, later broke into tears. A male, who had accompanied her, was openly aggressive towards her in the courtroom after the matter was called.

The two women were ordered to pay costs of $4,000 and to keep the peace.