A trial concerning two men in their 70s accused of offences including human trafficking commenced in Belfast today (Monday).
As the Crown’s case against the pensioners was opened to the jury, the eight men and four women were told that the complainant in the case is a young woman who at the relevant time was addicted to heroin.
Kenneth David Harvey, who turns 74 tomorrow, and his 71-year old co-accused Oliver James MacCormack have been charged with - and have denied - offences spanning a period from January 2018 to June 2020.
MacCormack, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry, is facing offences of causing the complainant to become a prostitute on a date between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2022.
He has also been charged with three count of trafficking her with a view to her being exploited, being concerned in the supply heroin, controlling prostitution for gain and paying for sexual services - all of which are on dates between January 1 and June 30, 2022.
Harvey, from Old Road in Lisburn, has been charged with the same human trafficking charge regarding the same complainant as well as three charges of paying for sexual services. All four counts are alleged to have occurred on dates between January 1 and June 30, 2022.
As he opened the Crown’s case to the jury, prosecuting barrister Richard Weir KC said that in March 2023 the complainant, who is now aged 26, contacted the PSNI and made a series of allegations against Harvey and MacCormack.
She told the PSNI that she first encountered MacCormack in the Bankmore Street area of Belfast when she was aged 18 and addicted to heroin. The complainant said MacCormack asked her if she was feeling sick - which Mr Weir said was a reference to heroin withdrawal - and that he offered her three bags of the Class A drug.
During this first encounter, the woman claimed she told MacCormack she had no money to buy the heroin he was offering but that he told her she could do ‘other things’.
She said she got into his car and was driven to a forest area where sexual activity occurred and that afterwards MacCormack gave her four bags of heroin. Mr Weir told the jury that it was the complainant’s case that “at this stage, she had never carried out sex work before and was unaware it was going on in Belfast.”
Following this first encounter, she said MacCormack took her phone number and told her ‘any time you are sick, I will help you’. In her interview with the PSNI, the complainant said when she phoned him, he would pick her up, take her to his home in Lisburn, have sex with her then pay her in heroin.
She also claimed that he introduced her to a website which advertised sexual services and that on a number of occasions he drove her to appointments made online. The woman said that on these occasions, she had to give MacCormack a portion of her earnings which he said was for his time and for fuel.
In addition, the complainant told police about instances where MacCormack arranged appointments with his friends. She recalled two occasions where, after being paid to perform sex acts with his friends, she gave the money to MacCormack in exchange for heroin.
Mr Weir said it was the Crown’s case that MacCormack led the woman to prostitution and that he “controlled her and took her to customers and got customers for her”.
The prosecutor added that MacCormack also “used her to sell heroin to others on his behalf and she would be paid in heroin”.
Following her accusations, MacCormack was interviewed by police - and whilst he acknowledged that he knew her and was aware she was a heroin addict and sex worker, he denied any criminality and made the case he was only trying to help her.
Regarding Harvey, the complainant alleges that after meeting him in a car park at Bankmore Street, he took her in his car to an alleyway where sexual activity occurred for which she was paid around £30. She said that on the second occasion, she met Harvey in a car park, he drove her to his home and she was paid £60 for this sexual encounter.
The complainant also told police about a third occasion when she was again driven to Harvey’s house and was paid £70 for sexual services. When Harvey was interviewed by police about her allegations, he denied them.
Mr Weir told the jury: “The prosecution say that when you have heard all the evidence in this case, you will be satisfied that each of these accused is guilty of all offences against them.”
At hearing.
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