Businesswoman charged with trafficking her niece

Last Updated on Monday, 29 February 2016, 16:35 by Denis Chabrol

A businesswoman was Monday arraigned for allegedly trafficking her niece twice and she was granted more than GYD$500,000 bail.

The prosecution’s facts are that 43-year old Joyce Lawrence of Track “X” Plantation Grove, East Bank Demerara trafficked in a person- her niece who was a minor- between December 12 and 14, 2014 at Samatta Point, by means of a threat.

Lawrence is also accused of committing a similar offence on her niece between July 1 and December 12, 2014 at a night club at Aishalton, Region Nine by means of a threat.

She was not required to plea to the indictable charges after they were read to her by Chief Magistrate, Ann
Mc Lennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

She was granted a total of GYD$650,000 bail on three charges including withholding her niece’s National Identification Card.

Forty-three-year-old Joyce Lawrence of 306 Track ‘X’ Plantation Grove, East Bank Demerara, was not required to plead to the indictable charges, one of which stated that between December 12 and 14, 2014 at Samantha Point, he she trafficked in person and transported her niece who was at that time a minor, by means of threat. It is also alleged that between July 1 and December 12, 2014 at a night club in Aishalton, Region 9, she again trafficked the minor by means of threat. Police also say that Lawrence, being her niece’s employer, unlawfully withheld her National Identification Card between December 1 and 28, 2014.

Defence Lawyer, Euclin Gomes, in making a bail application, said the mother of three children was the victim of a trumped up charge by her rebellious niece in whose welfare she is interested.

Lawrence was granted GYD$250,000 bail on each of the trafficking in person charge and GYD$150,000 bail for withholding the youth’s identification card.