Barbados duo charged with trafficking in five Guyanese women

by Heather-lyn Evanson
The Nation, Barbados

Two people charged with human trafficking in Barbados involving five Guyanese women appeared in the District ‘A” Magistrates’ Court in Bridgetown yesterday and one was granted bail, while the other was remanded.

Keenon Tristan Chase
Keenon Tristan Chase

Fifteen of the charges they face were read to them, with the remainder – just as many more – to come up today.

The two, Amelia Allison Joseph, 36, of Waterhall Land, Eagle Hall, St Michael; and 22-year-old Keenon Tristan Chase, of King William Street, The City, made an afternoon appearance before Magistrate Deborah Holder, but their charges were so many that, by 3.30 pm, the magistrate called a halt, saying she would read the remainder today.

By that time, she had read 15 of the lengthy indictable charges, five of which were in District B’s jurisdiction (in Christ Church), to the two accused.

Those charges were for receiving the five Guyanese women, managing a brothel, harbouring, forced labour and recklessness as to sexual exploitation.

The adjournment, however, saw Joseph, a businesswoman and proprietor of Kisses International Bar, and Chase, the bartender, parting company, as prosecutor Station Sergeant Keith Belle had no objection to Joseph being released, but asked that Chase be kept in custody.

Noting that all the charges were serious and that one involved a 17-year-old, the prosecutor explained that he would not be objecting to bail being granted the woman because she was pregnant, but he told the court that Chase was already on bail, on a robbery charge, from the same court.

The prosecutor also noted that the charges carried penalties of life imprisonment upon conviction.

Amelia Allison Joseph
Amelia Allison Joseph

Magistrate Holder then released Joseph on $30,000 bail – $10 000 for the District ‘B’ matters on April 30 and $20,000 for yesterday’s District ‘A’ charges.

However, she remanded Chase to HMP Dodds overnight until his return to the District ‘A’ court.

He, too, will go to the District ‘B’ Boarded Hall court on April 30.

Both accused were represented by attorney Arthur Holder.

Meanwhile, this newspaper has learned that the five Guyanese women who were trafficked are between the ages of 17 and 21 years old.

The local Ministry of Home Affairs, in a press release issued last evening referred to a press release issued by the Royal Barbados Police on the issue.

It said it had been advised through Consul General in Barbados Michael Brotherson that Guyana-Barbados Police cooperation had been initiated on the matter.

Noting that trafficking in persons is a transnational crime, the press release said that the Ministerial Task Force through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force has in place, appropriate regional and international cooperation mechanisms to facilitate swift response to this crime. The task force stands ready to support any effort to prosecute the perpetrators, it added.