Defendant in 2017 human trafficking case remanded

THE ST James Circuit Court has ordered that Keron Watson, the man who allegedly used social media to lure an 18-year-old girl into committing sexual acts for money in 2017, is to be kept in custody until September 17, when his case will return for mention.

Presiding High Court Justice Bertram Morrison set the new court date and ordered that Watson be remanded, following a failed attempt by Watson’s legal representative to secure bail for his client on Monday.

Watson is charged with breaches of the Trafficking in Persons Act.

When Watson’s case was called up, attorney Adrian Dayes, who was holding the matter on behalf of Watson’ s lawyer Donovan Collins, noted that Watson had previously been on bail but that the bail had been revoked after he missed a court date in January 2023.

“He was on bail prior. He was on bail for five years ... and he missed one court date in January last year, and since then he has lost his liberty. If the court would kindly consider reinstating his bail or otherwise offering him bail, he would never fall again,” Dayes appealed to Justice Morrison.

However, the prosecution interjected to indicate that the court date Watson had missed was the date his trial had been scheduled to start.

In response, Dayes rebutted that Watson had simply got the court date wrong and was not a flight risk otherwise.

“He had a wrong court date in his mind, and if he was trying to abscond, he would not have been arrested at his house,” Dayes argued, while also noting that Watson currently has a medical condition in need of attention.

“The application should have been made before the other judge,” Justice Morrison replied flatly, referring to the previous judge that Watson’s case had been listed before in 2023.

Meanwhile, the court was told that it would need time to go through 17 CDs and DVDs from the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Communication Forensic and Cybercrime Division, which are to be brought forward as evidence at Watson’s trial.

It was also disclosed that although Watson’s hearing was set for four weeks, the matter would not be able to begin due to the St James Circuit Court’s current hearing of a murder trial.

That trial is in relation to Gregory Roberts, the defendant in the 2017 murder of schoolgirl Shineka Gray.

Justice Morrison subsequently set September 17 as the date for Watson’s matter to be heard, and remanded him till that time.

According to the allegations against Watson, in January 2017, he conned the complainant into believing that he was a talent scout and invited her to his home under the guise that he would provide a modelling opportunity for her. He subsequently held her there against her will and had her perform various sexual acts with different men for a fee, which he pocketed.

After he released the complainant, Watson reportedly threatened to blackmail her with videos he had made of her in the various sexual acts. The matter was reported to the police, and he was arrested in April 2017, following a raid at his home.

Watson was also charged with illegal possession of ammunition after a 9mm cartridge was seized during the same raid.

He pleaded guilty to that charge, and on May 15, 2019, he was ordered by the St James Parish Court to pay a fine of J$30,000 or spend three months in prison.

Following Watson’s initial arrest, Senior Superintendent of Police Marlon Nesbeth, who headed the St James Police Division at the time, issued a warning in May 2017 to young people, especially girls and young women, not to fall prey to bogus ‘talent searchers’ who they met online or in person.