A St Catherine woman who coerced an underage girl to engage in sexual intercourse with several men has been sentenced to four years and five months in prison.

The sentence was handed down last Friday in the St Catherine Circuit Court by Justice Georgiana Fraser, after the convict, Oshin Morgan, pleaded guilty to trafficking in persons.

Morgan was also charged with procuring prostitution and living off the earnings of prostitution, but she pleaded not guilty to those offences.

Her mother, Andrea Morgan, was also arrested and charged with householder encouraging the violation of a child less than 16 years, but she, too, pleaded not guilty.

However, acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Leighton Morris and acting Crown Counsel Nicola Rowe both accepted Oshin’s guilty plea to trafficking in persons and offered no evidence on the other charges against her, as well as on the charge against her mother.

Facts outlined in the case are that between January 2013 to May 21, 2013 and Morgan encouraged and harboured the complainant at her home in Portmore, St Catherine and subsequently coerced her into having sexual intercourse with various men, knowing that she was under the age of 16 at the time.

The court also heard that Morgan’s mother knew what was happening, and despite seeing the complainant at the house on several occasions, did not enquire as to her reasons for being there, nor did she inform the child’s guardian or tell her to go home.

Attorney Hopeton Marshall represented both women.