After being a no-show for previous court sessions and having an arrest warrant issued for him, Diamond nightclub owner Freeman Fordyce was this morning slapped with human trafficking charges.
Fordyce, 41, of Lot 99 Collingswood Avenue, Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara, is accused of recruiting, harbouring, and transporting two Venezuelan women for the purpose of sexual exploitation at the club, located at George and Princes Streets, Georgetown.
It is alleged that the offences occurred between September 2018 and November 2018. Fordyce was not required to plead to the indictable charge read to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Fordyce was represented by attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes who petitioned for his client to be released on reasonable bail. However, the application was met by objections from Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers.
The prosecutor pointed out that Fordyce had been evading an arrest warrant. In this regard, Prosecutor Jeffers said that the defendant is a flight risk. The prosecutor’s objections were upheld by the magistrate and Fordyce was remanded to prison until May 8, 2019.
Two months ago, Fordyce was arrested and released on his own recognizance (self-bail) in relation to the human trafficking charges and was instructed to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), pending his arraignment in court.
However, Fordyce failed to show up at CID on several occasions. This prompted the Chief Magistrate to issue an arrest warrant for him.
According to information, police carried out a raid at the club in Diamond two months ago, which led to the arrest of 15 women, all said to be foreign nationals.
This was after a video circulated on social media showed a woman jumping over a locked gate to get into the Diamond Hotel and Night Club compound.
A few months ago, Fordyce was handed a four years’ suspended sentence by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty on an illegal gun and ammo charge, after being found guilty.
The Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions has since appealed the Magistrate’s decision. With Fordyce being charged with another offence, his lawyer told the Guyana Standard that his client is not in breach of the suspended sentence.
Fordyce is also currently on trial for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
He was charged in relation to this crime after video footage showed him resisting a search by Inspector Prem Narine before punching the officer in the face.
