Couple jailed for harbouring Vietnamese hookers
A man and his wife were each handed a year-long jail sentence for housing six Vietnamese prostitutes at their Sims Drive flat.
The jobless couple - Sim Boon Keong, 35, and his wife Huynh Die Tu, 33 - both entered a guilty plea for facilitating the women's entry into Singapore, harbouring them and living off their earnings.
Acting as their agent, Huynh liased with the women – aged 19-27 – via mobile phone messaging application WeChat.
She collected fees ranging between $1,100 and $1,900 to cover for their return air tickets as well as a $1,000 loan.
On top of that, Huynh also charged the hookers $20 for accommodation and food as they worked at pubs in the Jalan Sultan area as freelance hostesses, soliciting patrons for sex.
The arrangement was exposed after police received a tip-off and raided their Block 41 Sims Drive home last May.
District Judge Matthew Joseph remarked: "It is in the public interest that the sentence imposed by the court be a deterrence to others who are like-minded, from what might seem like a lucrative business for prostitution activities in Singapore."
Source: Straits Times
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