Taxi driver convicted of battery, rape of Venezuelan woman

After several days of trial, 37-year-old taxi driver, Thurston Semple was on Friday found guilty of assaulting and raping a Venezuelan woman. Semple of Tucville, Georgetown, had been on trial for the offences before Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and a jury at the Demerara Sexual Offences Court.

On the charge which alleged that he sexually penetrated the woman against her will between February 24 and 25, 2021, the jury returned a guilty verdict in the proportion of 10-two. On the assault charge, they found him unanimously guilty.
Following the verdict, the rape convict was remanded to prison pending sentencing which is scheduled for April 29. State Counsel Muntaz Ali and State Counsel Nafeeza Baig appeared for the prosecution while Semple was represented by Attorney-at-Law Everton Singh-Lammy.
The facts stated that around 22:30h on the day in question, Semple drove up alongside the woman who was standing in front of a hotel in Georgetown. The two of them began conversing during which Semple agreed to pay her $10,000 to have sex with him.
The woman left with Semple who transported her to a location. Upon arrival, she sat on a bed and smoked a cigarette. They then engaged in sexual intercourse. During the sex act, the condom broke, resulting in the woman having to replace it.
While doing so, she told Semple that he only had 15 minutes remaining and that if he does not finish within that time, she would leave. Semple replied by telling her “okay” before leaving for the kitchen. Upon his return, he grabbed the woman by her hair, placed a knife to her neck, removed the condom from his penis, and forced the woman to perform oral sex on him.
When the woman stopped performing the act on him, Semple dealt her several slaps to her face. At this point, she requested to have a drink of water. When Semple turned his back, the naked woman escaped through a glass window.
Semple ran behind her; he grabbed her by her hair again and dealt her several stabs with a knife. When the woman held onto the weapon, Semple lashed her about her body with a tube that was filled with cement. To get away from Semple, the woman jumped a fence and began crying out for help. Persons came to her rescue.

Shortly after, Police arrived at the scene and arrested Semple. The injured woman was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation where she was treated for lacerations about her body, fractured ribs, among other injuries.
After the offences were put to him and he was cautioned, Semple replied: “Officer, I had sex with her. I paid her for the service and she refused to do what I asked… and I assaulted her in her face with a PVC [polyvinyl chloride] pipe”.
Semple is presently listed for trial at the Demerara High Court for other rape charges. He is also accused of raping two female sex workers.
The charges against him state that he raped one of the women between November 30, 2017, and December 1, 2017, and the other between January 3 and 4, 2018.
According to reports, he picked up the women at a location in Georgetown and promised to pay them $10,000 each to have sex with them.
After the women performed various sex acts on him, Semple reportedly threatened them. He then dropped them off at the location where he picked them up without giving them a cent. Semple was granted bail on all the charges.