Abstracts: August 2003

August 13, 2003
Lapdancer sentenced in passport row
Irish Independent
Ann Healy
According to this article:
On August 12, Ese Osahon, a 20 year old Nigerian lap-dancer arrested at Angels in Galway during Operation Quest was given a one month suspended sentence by Judge Peter Smithwick at Galway District Court.  She had been in prison since her arrest on June 6.  She had been denied bail during 8 court appearances due to Gardai objections that her true identity was not known.  Osahon admitted failing to provide a valid passport or identity papers.  Judge Peter Smithwick said she had only herself to blame.

August 16, 2003
Sex Trade Capital
South Belfast News
Connla Young
According to this article:
The Department for Employment and Learning confirmed that job centres will accept employment vacancy notices from the sex trade industry.  DEL officials say they will only accept vacancies they deem legal, in practice pimps and prostitutes promoting themselves as escort agencies could be allowed to advertise for staff. Controversy erupted after the High Court in London ordered the Department for Work and Pensions in England to accept vacancy notices from the adult merchandising chain Ann Summers in June 2003. The DWP said it will now "accept job vacancies for all occupations within the sex industry, providing they are legal". The DEL is set to follow a similar line.

In July 2002 DEL officials issued a block permit to 17 Eastern European women to work at the Movie Star Cafe lap-dancing club.

It is believed that this development will open the way for South Belfast to be "turned into a pimp's paradise as seedy masters of the sex underworld scour job centres in search of jobless young men and women to work in the city's burgeoning vice scene".  South Belfast has up to a dozen brothels and many street prostitutes. Dominica McGowan of the NEXUS Institute said that after 20 years of experience dealing with things like this it is known that that sex industry attracts vulnerable people and they are further used and abused.  She said "There should be no grey area on this issue. No adverts should be accepted until a list of sex trade jobs are defined."

August 18, 2003
BLAIR GOVERNMENT OPENS THE FLOOD GATES TO THE SEX INDUSTRY
Press Statement: Dr. Esmond Birnie
"With the stroke of a Minister's pen, the Blair Administration has created the greatest revolution in the law on the "sex industry" since the nineteenth century. Job centres in both Great Britain and Northern Ireland will now be placing ads for, for example, escort agencies, "motion picture" work (i.e. filming pornography) and lap dancing. Since many of these parts of the sex industry are practically prostitution this represents a move towards the official recognition of prostitution. Such advertising of sex industry jobs will put the UK out of line with the rest of the EU and the English speaking world (even relative to those countries which are regarded as taking a liberal view on prostitution.) Given the EU's single labour market it may even open the door to Republic of Ireland or Continental lap dancing clubs advertising within the UK for their workers.

All this represents a huge jump, and one taken on the sly, towards the legalisation of prostitution. It seems sad that the Blair Administration cannot see that it is the poor and vulnerable (both within the UK and overseas) who will suffer as a result of this move. Minister's may argue that the Court Judgment regarding placing of ads for Ann Summers shops has obliged them to make this move. However, this move is a misreading of that case.

Perhaps we should conclude this is a case of administrative incompetence. That Ministers in the Labour Government do not realise the full consequence of what they are now permitting (after all, the incoherent and inconsistent way in which Labour Ministers Jane Kennedy, here in Belfast, and Beverley Hughes at the Home Office in London reacted to the controversy concerning the work permits for lap dancers in Belfast suggests at the very least an incompetent policy towards law on the "sex industry".) Even more worrying than incompetence is the possibility of conspiracy. Regardless of the fact that permissiveness, legalisation and deregulation of the "sex industry" actually hurts the poor disproportionately, there is a sizeable New Labour lobby which favours liberalisation for doctrinaire reasons. We are to have the brave new world of sexual free for all imposed upon UK cities by a Ministerial diktat".

Dr Esmond Birnie (former) MLA, UUP, South Belfast

August 19, 2003
Details of vice clients found at call centre
The Irish Times
According to this article:
A Limerick call center which was coordinating a prostitution ring for clients around Ireland has been uncovered by the Gardai and was raided at the weekend.  Gardai found up to 20 mobile phones and a significant amount of cash as well as ledgers detailing transactions from people looking for prostitutes.  A man and woman were arrested and questioned under the Sexual Offences Act.  They were later released.  A file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

It is understood that customers would ring a mobile number and say where they were located and would arrange a meeting with a prostitute in the area.  A fee would be discussed and some of the money would go to the local prostitute who would have to send part to the Limerick call centre.  It is believed that some of the prostitutes involved were non-nationals and Gardai are concerned about potential sex trafficking aspects.

August 19, 2003
Major vice investigation in Limerick City
utv
According to this article:
Gardai confirmed that a significant vice raid had been carried out in Limerick over the weekend and a man and woman were arrested in connection with alleged vice activities and drug-trafficking.  They have been released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP.  It has been reported, but not confirmed, that up to 20 thousand euro in cash and a number of mobile phones were seized.

August 20, 2003
Scathing Attack on Sex Job Adverts
According to this article:

Former MLA Esmond Birnie, UUP, has accused NIO minister Jane Kennedy of ''incompetence'' in her response to a legal ruling about ads for posts in Ann Summers shops.  Birnie claimed people would now be able to advertise for lap dancers and work in pornographic films and that it represents a huge jump towards the legalising of prostitution.  Birnie said it was sad that the Blair administration could not see that the poor and vulnerable would suffer as a result of the move. The Rev David McIlveen, Free Presbyterian Church spokesman backed up Mr. Birnie's view.  He said "It is totally unacceptable to the vast majority in Northern Ireland." "It is a backward step which takes away from the individual's dignity and respect as far as job seeking is concerned.''

A DEL spokeswoman said there are guidelines for JobCentres in dealing with vacancies which might bring the department into disrepute, such as jobs related to the sex industry, and in those instances the vacancies are normally brought to the attention of the JobCentre manager for approval.  She said there was no question of a JobCentre taking a vacancy for illegal jobs such as prostitution.

• Smith, Ron. "Scathing attack on sex job adverts" icNorthern Ireland.
  <http://icnorthernireland.icnetwork.co.uk/
  ?objectid=13312958&method=full&siteid=91603>

August 25, 2003
Minister orders probe into 'prostitution ring' row
According to this article:
Allegations that gardaí turned a blind eye to a major prostitution ring in order to gain information on more serious crimes are being investigated by senior Government officials.

Junior justice minister Willie O’Dea said he was seriously concerned at reports that two garda informers were allowed to continue running the Limerick-based vice ring.  O'Dea said the issue highlighted the question of how far officers should go in using informers.

The Sunday World had reported that 2 men had run brothels from Limerick apartments for the past 4 years and had earned millions of euro. They were described by the newspaper as "seasoned and paid garda informers". One was arrested last week when officers raided the Limerick operations centre.

Quote:
 “Any type of crime which involves trafficking of young women, bringing young women into this country and getting them involved in a life of prostitution in the vice industry, I would regard that as a very serious crime indeed.” - Willie O’Dea

• "Minister orders probe into 'prostitution ring' row" TCM Breaking News. Aug. 25, 2003. URL:
  <http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/
  2003/08/25/story111040.asp>