An ex-policeman was sentenced to four years in jail yesterday after being found guilty of taking a 14-year-old girl into Region Seven to be a sex worker.
Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry sentenced Huford David, a former Corporal in the Guyana Police Force, for human trafficking, after she read the evidence given to the Georgetown court and took into consideration all the facts presented.
One of David’s attorneys, Peter Hugh, gave a formal notice of appeal to the court and made an application for reasonable bail at the ending of the matter but was refused.
The charge against David was that between January 1 and January 31, 2013, at Kumakuma Creek, Mazaruni River, he kept the girl for the purpose of exploitation.
It was the police’s case that between January 1 and January 31, 2013, David contacted the 14-yeard-old and her sister and told them he needed two girls to work with him; one to work in a bar and the other to do the business. While her sister refused, the 14-year-old girl agreed to go with David.
David was reported to have taken the girl to Parika and then to Bartica, from where transported her to Kumakuma Creek, Mazaruni River. It was at this point also where David explained to the girl that she would collect gold and money and give it to a shopkeeper.
As a result of nine sexual encounters, the girl accumulated 12 pennyweights of gold and $160,000 cash, which she later gave to the shopkeeper. A few days later, the girl insisted on having her gold and money but when she approached the shopkeeper he told her that he did not have it. She then went to David, who showed her a book, which stated that she only worked for six pennyweights of gold and $130,000 cash but he too told her that he did not have either.
The girl became annoyed and escaped. She later made a report to the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO), following which investigations were launched into the matter and David was located, arrested and charged.
The 14-year-old was among four girls rescued from Tiger Creek Backdam, at Puruni, in Region Seven, by members of the GWMO, who found them being held against their will by shop owners.
David was represented by both Hugh and Latchmie Rahamat. Rahamat said David had an impeccable record before the matter. She also noted he had been a member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). Rahamat begged the court to deliver sentence that is reasonable after hearing all the facts, while noting that David was a father four children and the sole breadwinner of his home.
Hugh, in addition to giving notice of appeal, mentioned that David’s car is still in police custody at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the police also still have his passport in their possession.
The magistrate sentenced David after taking into consideration the sort of behaviour that was exhibited, which she said was not impeccable and would not be tolerated by the court.
