7 News Belize

She Trafficked A 15 Year Old Into Sex Slavery
posted (February 11, 2016)
Back in February 2014, it made big news when 64 year-old Estela Gonzalez was accused of human trafficking after she brought in a 15 year-old girl into Belize and forced her to have sex with men. Well tonight, Gonzalez is in jail - after being convicted of human trafficking by a jury of 9.

The jury heard testimony from the victim who testified that Gonzalez brought her to Belize from her home in Honduras on August 18, 2013. She said that she was having serious family issues, and that's when she was introduced to Gonzalez who offered her a home in Belize City. The victim told the court that Gonzalez told her that she was going to be working in a beauty salon, but, instead, she took her to Temptation Bar, at Mile 10 on the George Price Highway. She said that whilst there, Gonzalez coerced her into having sexual intercourse with a man who paid Gonzalez $150 for the encounter. The complainant went into further details that Gonzalez paid the bar owner $50, she kept $75 dollars for herself, and paid her $25 for the night. She then went on to recount 2 other occasions where Gonzalez pressured her into having sex with 2 other men for the same price.

In her defence, Gonzalez denied committing the offence. She said the girl showed up at her house at mile 10 on George Price Highway, begging for work. She said she told the girl she don't have any work and when the girl insisted she took the girl to Temptation Bar and gave her a job. v The jury of 5 women and 4 men deliberated for about an hour and a half, and returned yesterday evening with a verdict of guilty for human trafficking. Justice Lucas has deferred sentencing on Thursday, February 18, to give Gonzalez's attorneys, Leo Bradley Jr and Kevin Arthurs time to prepare a mitigation plea.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl Lynn Vidal, prosecuted the case, and she was assisted by Crown Counsels Rodriguez and Tillett.

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