A DOWN man has pleaded guilty to assisting brothel keeping in Dublin City centre.
Duane Killen (37), Oldtown Road, Annalong, Newry, rented Dublin apartments for use as brothels under aliases Martin Woods and Michael Morgan.
Killen was involved in renting apartments and the court heard yesterday how locations for the brothels moved around rented accommodation.
Det Sgt Séamus Houlihan accepted Killen had been paid by third parties for renting the apartments only and did not profit from brothel proceeds.
The detective agreed with defence counsel Michael O’Higgins that people “very well known to gardaí” for suspected involvement in organised prostitution had “cleverly manipulated” his client when he was struggling to get work as a joiner.
Killen pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to acting or assisting brothel management in apartments at Bachelors Walk; Grattan Street; George’s Quay; High Street, Dublin 8; Cumberland Road and Herbert Park, Dublin 4, between November 6th, 2005, and April 13th, 2006.
Det Sgt Houlihan said these brothels did not operate simultaneously but that one opened as another was closed. Judge Tony Hunt accepted that Killen “wasn’t the brains behind the operation” and said he would consider community service instead of a jail term and a fine payable to a charity for victims of prostitution.