Trial told Dublin apartments were used as brothels

The trial has begun of a Chinese man accused of allowing two Dublin apartments to be used as brothels. Di Wei has pleaded not guilty to knowingly allowing an apartment at the Innings, Observatory Lane, Rathmines, to be used as a brothel between February 10th and April 26th, 2011.

Mr Wei (31), of Dolphin’s Barn, South Circular Road, also denied permitting an apartment at Fastnet Block, Custom House Harbour, to be used for the same purposes between April 1st and July 22th, 2011.

The court heard that when gardaí­ raided both apartments they found women on the premises and paraphernalia associated with prostitution.

Tony McGillicuddy, prosecuting, told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court it would hear evidence that Mr Wei had been "intimately involved" in the running of brothels at both addresses.

He said transactions through Mr Wei's Permanent TSB bank account showed he paid sums to a company called E-designers, which runs a website for Escort Ireland.

Several men took the witness stand to give evidence about using prostitution services at the apartments.

The trial continues.