The prosecution has filed an appeal against the sentence handed down to entertainer Harrison Horsford, known professionally as Jesse Fyah, after a High Court judge ordered him to pay $8,000 following his conviction on two sexual offences committed against a young woman in 2020.
According to Antigua News Room, Horsford was ordered to pay $5,000 in compensation to the complainant after being convicted of serious indecency, and a separate $3,000 fine to the State for indecent assault. Crown counsel has challenged the sentence, arguing it is unduly lenient and fails to reflect the gravity of the offences — each of which carries a maximum prison term of five years.
Horsford had been held in custody since May, when a jury convicted him on both counts after deliberating for less than an hour.
The offences stemmed from an incident on October 27, 2020, involving a woman in her early twenties who had known Horsford for several years. The court noted the pair had previously maintained a casual relationship.
Evidence presented at trial established that the complainant accepted a ride from Horsford, believing he was driving her home. He instead drove to the Darkwood area, telling her he needed to meet someone about a billboard. No such meeting took place, according to the prosecution's case.
The court heard that Horsford then made a series of unwanted sexual advances. He kissed the complainant against her will, grabbed her by the throat as she resisted, exposed and fondled her breasts, and forcibly touched her genital area while telling her she belonged to him. Despite her repeated pleas to be taken home, he ordered her out of the vehicle and left her on the roadside.
A passing motorist stopped after seeing the distressed woman. That driver later testified that the complainant was crying, visibly shaken, and holding her clothing together. She asked to be taken to the Johnson Point Police Station, where she filed a report.
Horsford denied both charges. In an unsworn statement from the dock, he told the jury he had simply offered the complainant a lift after seeing her standing in the rain, that their conversation during the journey was amicable, and that he had offered to help her find employment. He claimed she subsequently asked him for $3,000, which he refused, and that he dropped her off without incident. He said he only learned of the allegations later that evening through a Facebook message accusing him of rape, and warned that legal action would follow if the claims persisted.
The jury rejected Horsford's account and returned guilty verdicts on both charges.
In delivering sentence, Justice Ann Marie Smith observed that Horsford appeared to believe the complainant's perceived sexual history gave him licence to treat her as he did. The judge firmly rejected that reasoning, affirming that every woman has the right to refuse unwanted sexual advances and that consent must be respected irrespective of prior relationships or reputation.
George Lake represented Horsford during the trial. Crown Counsel Curtis Cornelius prosecuted the case.
