A 74-year-old man has been handed a two-year sentence for trafficking a woman and paying her for sexual services.
Kenneth David Harvey, who is currently serving a sentence in HMP Maghaberry for similar offences, appeared at Belfast Crown Court.
From Old Road in Lisburn, the pensioner was told his sentence will be divided equally between prison and licence. Despite his initial denials, Harvey pleaded guilty to a charge of human trafficking on dates between January 1 and June 30, 2020.
He admitted that during this period, he "arranged or facilitated the travel" of the woman with a view to her being exploited. Harvey also pleaded guilty to three counts of paying for sexual services on dates between January 1 and June 30, 2020.
Prior to the sentence being imposed on Monday, prosecuting barrister Samantha Madden told Judge Gordon Kerr KC that in March 2023 the victim spoke to the PSNI.
During an interview, she said that she knew Harvey from working as a prostitute in the Bankmore Street car park area of Belfast. She recalled three separate incidents in 2020 when Harvey transported her in his car to locations to have sexual relations with her.
Harvey took her in his car to an alleyway in the Botanic area of Belfast where sexual activity occurred for which she was paid around £40. 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 victim also told police about a third occasion when she was again driven to Harvey’s house with another woman and was paid £70 to participate in a threesome. Ms Madden revealed that at the time, the woman was a heroin addict and that on all three occasions she was under the influence of drugs.
When Harvey was interviewed by police about her allegations, he accepts he frequented the car park at Bankmore Street and was aware that prostitution occurred in that area.
He also accepted that the complainant had been in his house but claimed he never had sex with her. A trial commenced in Belfast last month and during this, Harvey changed his stance and admitted all four charges against him. Ms Madden described the victim as “vulnerable” and spoke of Harvey’s “identical offending” for which he is currently serving a prison sentence.
Judge Kerr said he had considered defence submissions on Harvey which were submitted by barrister Richard McConkey KC. As well as the two-year sentence, Judge Kerr also imposed a five-year restraining order which bans Harvey from contacting his victim.
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