- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 29/Jul 03:32

Ex-cop jailed for 16 years for human trafficking

A police officer convicted on human trafficking charges has been sentenced by a High Court judge. Valentine Eastman, who was charged in 2013, was found guilty by a San Fernando jury on January 31. On July 28, he was sentenced by Justice George Busby. Public defenders Ravindra Rajah and Aixa Edwards represented Eastman. Eastman, 63 of Princes Town, faced three charges that between March 3 and 25, 2013, he harboured Colombian women at Princes Town for the purpose of exploitation, in the form of prostitution. They were then taken to locations in Vistabella and Chase Village. He was found guilty on two of these charges. He was also charged with rape but was acquitted by the jury. Fourteen witnesses were part of the State’s case, including two of the victims, who testified during his trial. Justice Busby sentenced Eastman to 16 years, five months, and 15 days of hard labour for the offences. In determining the sentence, the judge considered the Trafficking in Persons Act, the Constitution, the only local case available for comparison, and the United Kingdom’s sentencing guidelines. He highlighted the seriousness and prevalence of the offence, the level of planning involved in arranging the victims’ travel from Colombia to Trinidad and Tobago, and the deception used to lure them. He noted that the crimes were committed for financial gain, involved threats and intimidation, and resulted in the women being sexually exploited and subjected to psychological harm. The judge set a starting point of 13 years, increasing it to 17 years after weighing the aggravating factors, including Eastman’s breach of trust as a serving officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service at the time. While Eastman had no prior convictions, Busby ruled that the gravity of the offences and the aggravating circumstances far outweighed his clean record. After deducting six months and 15 days for time already spent in pre-trial custody, the final sentence amounted to 16 years, five months, and 15 days, to be served concurrently at hard labour. Eastman's co-accused, who faced six counts of transporting persons for exploitation under the Trafficking in Persons Act, was acquitted on January 13, after the State discontinued its case against him. The co-accused was charged in April 2013 alongside Eastman, based on allegations from three Colombian women who claimed they were trafficked into Trinidad for prostitution. It was alleged that the co-accused transported the women from their apartment to the Santa Maria Hotel in Chaguanas, where they worked as prostitutes, and to the Hawaii Hotel in San Fernando. The two went on trial in November 2024. The women refused to testify in person or virtually at the trial. The State sought to admit prior statements and evidence recorded in the magistrates’ court, but the defence team contested the application. The court ultimately rejected the prosecution’s application. After the ruling, on January 13, prosecutors told the court they had decided to discontinue the case against Eastman's co-accused, acknowledging that the remaining evidence, including testimonies from police and immigration officers, was insufficient to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The San Fernando jury was then ordered to return a not-guilty verdict for all counts on the indictment. The State was represented by Ambay Ramkellawan and Kyrn Lewis. The post Ex-cop jailed for 16 years for human trafficking appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.