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A taxi driver who allegedly abducted a teenaged girl from a fish shop and indecently assaulted her was remanded to prison yesterday when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Lawrence Halley

Lawrence Halley, 31, of Shopping Plaza, South Ruimveldt was not required to plead to the indictable charge of unlawful abduction but he pleaded not guilty to the charge of indecent assault.

It is alleged that on February 14, Halley abducted a female under the age of eighteen with intent to have carnal knowledge of her. On the same day, he is also accused of indecently assaulting the same girl.

Halley’s lawyer applied for bail for him on the grounds that he is the father of four and the sole breadwinner of his family. The lawyer also stated that Halley had an unblemished record in the court. He said that the incident took place in a public place, a  fish shop, and there was no act of abduction as stated by witnesses.

However, Prosecutor Denise Griffith stated that Halley has other matters pending before the court. She said that on the day in question, the teenage girl was at a fish shop with some friends when Halley drove up to her, disembarked his car and abducted her. She said that there were several eyewitnesses to attest to this and they had given statements to the police about the incident. The prosecutor said further that Halley later took the girl to his apartment in South Ruimveldt where he forced a cloth into her mouth which caused her to become unconscious.

The prosecutor then objected to the bail application on the grounds that Halley had a matter of a similar nature before the court and he may interfere with the girl since they are known to each other.

The lawyer then submitted that all the prosecution had stated had not been proven and urged the court to refrain from indulging in “speculative evidence.”

The magistrate subsequently ordered that Halley be remanded to prison and transferred the matter to Court Three for February 24.