Thai Woman Jailed For Sex Slavery.

[softgeorge]

Woman jailed for keeping sex worker slave

Elizabeth Byrne ABC News

Updated May 24, 2012 11:01:54

A Canberra woman convicted of keeping a Thai sex worker as a slave in a Braddon brothel will spend at least four years and nine months in prison.

Watcharaporn Nantahkhum, 45, was found guilty of six charges including possessing a slave, exploiting a non-citizen, and perverting the course of justice.

The charges related to two victims, one of whom Nantahkhum recruited from Thailand to work in the Australian sex industry in 2007.

The woman was forced to see more than 700 clients at all hours to pay off a $43,000 debt.

Justice Richard Refshauge told the ACT Supreme Court, he accepted the woman had not been coerced into coming to Australia but that did not diminish the culpability.

He sentenced Nantahkhum to eight years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of four years and nine months.

[softgeorge]

Brothel madam to find prison onerous, court heard

By Elizabeth Byrne

Posted May 18, 2012 13:56:39

Map: ACT

The ACT Supreme Court has heard a Thai woman, found guilty of keeping a slave, will find prison onerous because of her isolation from family, and her lack of English skills.

Watcharaporn Nantahkhum, 45, was found guilty by a jury in April of five charges including that she had kept a woman she employed as a sex worker as a slave.

The victim had been recruited from Thailand and brought to Canberra in 2007.

The victim told the court she had been made to work all hours to pay off a $43 thousand debt and only allowed out twice under supervision until it was paid.

Nantahkhum was also found guilty of offences against a second woman.

In a sentencing hearing the prosecution told the court the offence had been committed callously and deliberately for profit.

Nantakhum's lawyers told the court they accepted there would be a term in jail, but asked that her circumstances be considered in the final sentence.

[softgeorge]

Close.