Taxi-driver Thurston Semple, charged with multiple rapes, was yesterday afternoon found guilty at his fist trial before the High Court and is now awaiting sentencing.
By a majority verdict of 10 to 2, a jury found Semple guilty of raping a sex-worker between February 24 and February 25 of last year.
The jury also found the 37-year-old guilty of assaulting the woman and causing her actual bodily harm. The verdict on the assault charge was unanimous.
Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry has deferred sentencing until April 29 to facilitate the presentation of probation and psychological reports on Semple as well as an impact statement from the victim.
The court heard from the victim that she had arranged on the night of February 24, 2021 to provide services for Semple at a cost of $10,000 and they went to his home, where they had sex.
She detailed that during intercourse, the condom broke and after replacing it, she told the accused that he had only 15 minutes remaining and that if he was not finished within that time, she would leave.
The Court heard that Semple said “okay” but then walked into the kitchen and returned with a knife as the woman was getting dressed and told her that she was not going anywhere, among other things.
The court had heard from the woman that at that point she told him that he could keep the money and she would leave in peace but he instead grabbed her hair, placed the knife to her neck, removed the condom and then raped her.
The woman related to the court that she later asked the accused to stop and requested some water to drink. As Semple turned to get the water, the court had heard from the woman that she scrambled whatever clothing she could, and jumped through a glass window, with the accused in pursuit.
He managed to grab on to her hair.
The woman, who told the court that she was naked at the time, related that Semple then stabbed her and that as she held on to the knife, he started beating her with a plastic tube filled with cement.
The woman said that someone who was walking by stopped and asked what had happened and he (Semple) replied “nothing,” while she cried out for help.
The State said that while he was inflicting the beating, two neighbours called out to Semple and urged him to stop but he told the woman “no one gonna help” her because they were afraid of him and that she was his 24th victim.
The woman said that she subsequently gathered strength and jumped the fence, after which persons went to her rescue and she was taken to the hospital.
The court was told that sometime after, the police arrested Semple.
Investigators testified that after the allegation was put to Semple and he was cautioned, he replied, “Officer I did have sex with her. I pay for her for the service, and she refuse to do what I asked and I assaulted her in her face with a PVC pipe.”
The case for the defence was that the sex act that prompted the woman’s complaint was consensual.
Semple’s story was that after going to get the water for the woman, he came back and caught her going into his pocket and he chased her and beat her. He accepted that he went overboard with the assault.
He, however, maintained that he did not rape her.
Semple was represented by defence attorney Everton Singh-Lammy.
The State’s case meanwhile, was presented by Prosecutor Nafeeza Baig, in association with state counsel Muntaz Ali and Latifah Elliot.
The trial proceedings were held in-camera at the Sexual Offences Court of the Demerara High Court.
Semple is also awaiting trial for allegedly raping two sex workers in 2017.
