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A Melbourne brothel manager who pleaded guilty to selling a 16-year-old girl for sex has escaped jail time.
Chen Lee, 35, former manager of the Heidelberg Angels brothel in northeast Melbourne, Australia, walked free behind bars without spending a minute. on mondayLee had no criminal record and a guilty plea for providing sexual services by a child led to his conviction.
Instead of a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, County Court Judge Angela Ellis sentenced the man 3-year Community Amendment Order with 400 hours of unpaid community work and a fine of AUD$1,000 (approximately $631). He will also be on the sex offender registry for the next eight years.
Speaking in Victoria county court on Monday, Ellis said Lee had a duty to ensure that all workers at his brothel were adults, but he “turned a blind eye.”
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“You were the manager … and therefore had the great responsibility of ensuring that the individuals hired to provide sexual services were adults,” Ellis said. You have chosen to ignore it.
“Generously speaking, you turned a blind eye and allowed vulnerable 16-year-olds to participate in sex work for your financial reward.
The girl, whose name cannot be released for legal reasons, reportedly responded to a Facebook ad looking for a “mistress assistant” in 2019. She turned 27.
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The girl ran away from the Department of Human Services residential care unit where she lived before working in a brothel under the name “Pixie”. On the first night of August 27, 2019, when the girl started her shift, Li was present as her duty manager.
On her first day at the Heidelberg Angels, the girl told police she had not been asked to complete any paperwork, saying: “‘You were happy to work. Go ahead.'”
The girl, who often uses whips and other tools on her clients, was transported by Uber to and from the brothel. Her fare is later deducted from her salary. 100 Australian dollars (about $63), the court heard.
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Most of her work involved the use of tools of some kind, but courts heard that girls sometimes get paid for having sex with their clients.
Upon receiving the information, authorities raided the Heidelberg Angels in September 2019 and arrested Lee, who was the manager on duty at the time. Lee came to Melbourne from China to run a brothel owned by her mother. The charges against Lee’s mother, Ying Yang, 51, were dropped in July.
Lee told investigators he could not remember who Pixie was, but Judge Ellis “denied that the brothel had employed workers under the age of 18.”
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The Heidelberg Angels claimed to comply with the Victorian Sex Work Act 1994.
“We follow all the rules of the Sex Work Act of 1994 from Victoria for a legal and licensed environment for both you and our girls,” the brothel claimed.
In court on Monday, Judge Ellis said the incident affected the victim because the event “has haunted her and she experiences flashbacks.”
“[She] Crime has affected her outlook on life and she says she despairs for the future,” Ellis said.[She] explains that every aspect of her life is affected by guilt and fear that she may never heal. ”
In court, Judge Ellis accused Lee of not regretting what happened, saying: The reflections shown undoubtedly appear to be related to the position you find yourself in right now. ”
via main image 7 news australia
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