Two women who managed a brothel have been fined £6,500 each and given 18-month suspended sentences by Judge Elizabeth Dunne at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Samantha Hutton (33), of St Patrick's Park, Clondalkin, pleaded guilty to assisting in the management of a brothel between September 17th and September 22nd, 1999. She also admitted organising prostitution by controlling and directing the activities of one or more prostitutes between August 19th and September 22nd, 1999. Her co-accused, Karen Leahy (31), of Collins Avenue, Whitehall, pleaded guilty to keeping a brothel between September 17th and September 22nd, 1999.
Det Insp John McMahon said that the brothel was advertised under the name Penthouse Pets and was run at the Winter Garden Apartments in Pearse Street. He described it as a very professional and well-organised operation which had a turnover of £40,000 for the previous five to six weeks, according to garda∅.
Hutton and Leahy were present with one male client and four other women when garda∅ searched the apartment on September 22nd, 1999. Det Insp McMahon said that the four women admitted to garda∅ that they were working as prostitutes and said they got the jobs by answering advertisements in In Dublin magazine.
Leahy had £830 cash, while Hutton had £225. Garda∅ also recovered 20 cheques valued at £5,432 which had been received from male clients. Hutton and Leahy were arrested and admitted that the premises was being operated as a brothel. Hutton, an ex-model, told garda∅ that she helped Leahy to run the brothel while the latter was pregnant with her fourth child.
She had also put in place plans to set up an Executive Club, where clients could pay £1,500 a night for an exclusive prostitution service.
Det Insp McMahon told Mr Brendan Grehan, prosecuting, that weeks earlier Hutton had been the subject of a sting operation when investigated by Sunday Independent journalists Liz Allen and Campbell Spray.
Ms Allen answered one of the In Dublin adds and was offered a job by Hutton. Later, Mr Spray phoned Hutton and requested a prostitute resembling Ms Allen.
Ms Allen failed to turn up at a hotel to meet Mr Spray and Hutton supplied another girl for him.
Hutton was paid in cash personally outside the hotel and the Sunday Independent printed the story.
Mr Michael O'Connor, for Hutton, said that his client suffered from severe depression and developed an addiction to cocaine. She was now drug-free.
Mr Bernard Condon, for Leahy, pleaded for leniency because of Leahy's co-operation with the garda∅ and the fact that she had five young children to look after.
Judge Dunne said both women had saved a great deal of court time and embarrassment for the men who were using the premises by admitting their guilt.
"Both were involved in a sordid, despicable and distasteful way of making money and they exploited those who were working for them", the judge said.
"Having heard the circumstances of both, I see that nothing justifies their involvement in such activities, but I feel that I can deal with it in a non-custodial way."
Judge Dunne gave Leahy three months to pay the fine and Hutton five months.