(Trinidad Express) POLICE officers were among the men who engaged in sexual exploitation of a trafficked 16-year-old girl over several months between 2014 and 2015.
This was disclosed during the course of a criminal trial against 38-year-old Anthony Michael Smith, who was found guilty, on Thursday, by a nine-member jury on five charges of human trafficking and child prostitution.
Smith, a former bar manager in El Dorado, was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.
But he is currently on the run from law enforcement, having absconded after two days of evidence was heard before Justice Geoffrey Henderson at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain.
He was out on bail in the sum of $2 million at the time.
Following his “disappearance”, the trial continued in his absence.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) yesterday issued a release asking the public for help to find Smith, who last lived at Tunapuna Road, Tunapuna.
His conviction under the Trafficking in Persons Act was the first of its kind recorded in the country.
After announcing the sentence to be served, the judge directed the Registrar of the High Court to forward a copy of the transcript of the proceedings to the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) of the Police Service as it contained evidence that police officers had sexual intercourse with the girl, the Judiciary stated.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds hosted a news conference at his office in Port of Spain, on Friday, announcing the outcome of the case. Accompanying him were Lawrence Hinds, director of the Electronic Monitoring Unit (EMU); Dr Samantha Chaitram, director of the Counter Trafficking Unit, and Woman Police Cpl Dane-Marie Marshall, the officer who laid the charges.
Hinds said the victim was a Trinidad and Tobago national and was under police protection.
He also stated that the search was on for Smith and he was confident he would be arrested soon and sent to prison to serve his sentence.
The evidence
On Friday evening, the Judiciary issued a statement, outlining the evidence that was heard at trial.
It stated that, during the girl’s testimony, she indicated that the last person she had intercourse with while working for Smith was a member of the Police Service.
The offences committed against her were said to have taken place between December 2014, and July 15, 2015, after she responded to a newspaper advertisement as she sought to obtain employment.
It was stated that the girl was from a single-parent home and was one of five children.
Her mother was struggling financially and she decided to leave school and go job-hunting.
The advertisement to which she responded was supposedly for the employment of “promotional girls and models” but when she arrived for the interview the girl was told she needed to remove her clothes to be photographed.
“This was when she was told the true nature of the work being offered which was selling sexual services. When she declined the offer, she was offered the job as a bartender in Smith’s business and subsequently a place to stay in eastern Trinidad,” the Judiciary stated.
Sometime after, Smith asked the girl to assist him with an “important client” since he had no other available girls on that day.
From then on, she was required to continue sex work while she attended part-time school.
“During the time that she worked for Smith, she was subjected to physical, emotional and sexual abuse from him. In August 2015, the 16-year-old informed Anthony Smith of her decision to leave and was only allowed to leave that day with some of her belongings that could fit in two bags.
“She was forced to leave behind her belongings including her passport. Her passport eventually led to the arrest of Anthony Smith,” the Judiciary stated.
It explained that, in September 2015, police searched the premises in east Trinidad and met foreign sex workers. They also found the girl’s passport, which led to them eventually locating and interviewing her in November 2015.
Smith was arrested and the charges laid in January 2016.
He was eventually committed to stand trial in 2021 and in February, of this year, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) filed the indictments at the High Court.
The trial began on September 18, but after two days of evidence, Smith stopped showing up in court.
As part of his bail conditions that was imposed on him, after being committed to stand trial, Smith was ordered by court to be electronically monitored by way of ankle bracelet.
He was also placed on a 24-hour home curfew. However, Smith eventually applied to the High Court for a variation of his bail to be allowed to go to work, but still be monitored.
After the granting of the request, officers of the Electronic Monitoring Unit (EMU) received an alarm which indicated that the ankle bracelet was being tampered with. Officers attempted to locate Smith, but to date they have been unable to do so.
• Anyone with information that could lead to Smith’s arrest is asked to contact 800-TIPS, 555, 999, 911 or any police station.
