Arrest warrant issued for owner of Diamond Strip Club

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan has issued an arrest warrant for Freeman Fordyce, the owner of the Diamond Strip Club after he failed to appear in court Thursday.

Fordyce is currently on bail for two counts of trafficking Venezuelan women to Guyana for sexual exploitation.

In April, the 41-year-old man of Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara was placed before the Chief Magistrate and pleaded not guilty to the two charges which alleged that that between September to November last year, he transported and harboured the two women for sexual exploitation.

He was remanded to prison but was later released on High Court bail.

The Chief Magistrate had refused bail on the grounds that she had to issue an arrest warrant for him since he failed to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters, Eve Leary while on station bail.

He failed to appear in Court Thursday and so the warrant was issued and the Magistrate was forced to adjourn the matter until September 5, 2019.

During the month of February 2019, the Diamond Strip Club was raided by ranks from the Guyana Police Force which led to the arrest of 15 women, all of whom were foreign nationals.

The raid was prompted following a video on social media, which showed a woman jumping over a locked gate to get into the Diamond Hotel and Night Club compound.

Six months ago, Fordyce was handed a four-year suspended sentence by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty after being found guilty of gun and ammunition charges.

The Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had appealed the decision.

Fordyce is currently on trial for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.