COME June 3, 2022, High Court Judge Priya Sewnarine-Beharry, is expected to pass sentence on Thurston Semple, who was found guilty of raping and brutally assaulting a 30-year-old Venezuelan sex worker.

In March, a 12-member jury at the Demerara Sexual Offences Court found Semple guilty of sexually penetrating the woman against her will between February 24 and 25, 2021.

Prosecutors Nafeeza Baig, Muntaz Ali, and Latifah Elliot presented the state’s case, while attorney Everton Lammy-Singh is on record for Semple.

Semple is expected to be sentenced after his psychiatric evaluation is presented to the court during the June 3 hearing.

The Guyana Chronicle had reported that Semple picked up the sex worker from a city hotel and took her to his home after agreeing to pay her $10,000. They later had sexual intercourse at the home.

He became annoyed when the woman told him that he had 15 minutes remaining with her. Semple then walked into the kitchen and returned with a knife. At that time the woman was dressing.

Semple held the woman at knifepoint and forced her to perform oral sex on him. When she stopped sometime later, he slapped her.

When he turned away to get the water she had asked for, the woman scrambled whatever clothes she could find and jumped through a glass window.

However, Semple ran behind her and grabbed her by her hair. The victim recounted that she was naked and that Semple held on to her and stabbed her.

She managed to hold on to the knife. The enraged Semple began beating her with a plastic tube filled with cement. The victim subsequently gathered strength and jumped the fence and persons came to her rescue. Sometime after, the police came and arrested Semple.