Abstracts: August 2004
August 2, 2004
Irish police
search for Paiche Unyolo’s head
According to this article:
The burial of Paiche Unyolo Onyemaechi last Friday was attended by her father
Chief Justice Unyolo of Malawi. An appeal was made to the African Community by Dr John Parkin, the priest presiding over the ceremony, to contact him about
the whereabouts of her missing husband, Chika Onyemaechi. Paiche's beheaded body
was discovered on July 22. She had been reported missing by her husband on
July 8.
Police have issued a press release confirming that one
line of their inquiry will concentrate on Paiche’s alleged profession as a
prostitute and lap dancer in nightclubs in Dublin, Limerick and London.
They are also investigating the possibility of an African ritualistic killing
and that her head was possibly taken and kept as a trophy or to be used in a
voodoo ceremony. Scotland Yard is assisting in the investigation.
August 3, 2004
Two
questioned over Dublin brothels
According to this article:
Gardaí, assisted by members of The Criminal Assets Bureau, arrested and are
questioning two men in connection with the operation of brothels in Dublin as
part of the ongoing Operation Quest. The arrests were the latest in the ongoing investigation
into the sex industry and the operation of brothels in Dublin. In January, 2004,
,Gardaí arrested 10 people during a search of a Dublin lap dancing club..
August 3, 2004
Garda Press Release:
"Two men have been arrested earlier today as a result of Operation Quest.
One man is in his 50's and the other is in his 20's and both are detained under
section 4 of The Criminal Justice Act at Store Street Garda Station.
The Operation Quest team were assisted by members of The Criminal Assets Bureau.
The arrests were part of an ongoing investigation into the sex industry and the
operation of brothels in Dublin city."
August 6, 2004
Open mind as to
why Paiche was murdered
According to this article:
Gardai investigating the murder of the 25-year-old Malawi woman Paiche
Onyemaechi dismissed claims that they are liasing with Scotland Yard
detectives on the case. Supt. Michael Devine confirmed to the Waterford News & Star that gardai have not
enlisted the help of experts with expertise in ritual
killings and that the investigation was ongoing locally. He said Scotland Yard would be contacted if they felt the need for their help in the future and that ritual killing was a possibility that would be examined by the
investigators as much as all others.
Devine acknowledged that Paiche’s links to the lapdancing industry,
and possibly to prostitution was being followed up on.
He also confirmed that Paiche’s Onyemaechi’s head was not found at the scene and that the investigating team believed she died elsewhere and her body was
dumped at Piltown. Devine said that the fact that Paiche's husband, 31-year-old Nigerian Chika Onyemaechi was not in Waterford did not necessarily mean he was "missing" as press reports have said.
A technical examination of her house for fibres etc. was undertaken and members of her family were interviewed, including her father, Malawian Chief Justice Mr. Leonard Unyolo.
A commemoration service took place in the local community centre in Piltown, South Kilkenny.
Very Fr. Paschal Moore, PP, said the service was a special remembrance service
for the girl and her family who were all Christians.
August 11,
2004
Help for prostitutes to kick drug habits
According to this article:
The SWAN (Sex Workers Around Northampton) Project, run by Northampton Primary
Care Trust in partnership with police and borough council, has won funding for a
full-time drugs worker to focus entirely on helping drug-addicted prostitutes to
quit. Their hope is that kicking the drug habit will help the women escape the
sex trade. SWAN's health workers estimate that 90 per cent of Northampton's
prostitutes are drug users, some with £200 per day crack habits. Personal
treatment plans that could include counseling, medication and help with housing
problems. Two year funding for the drugs worker role came from the Government
Office of the East Midlands as part of the Building Safer Communities
Initiative.
Fixter, Alyson. "Help for prostitutes to kick drug habits" Northampton News.
Aug. 11, 2004. Dec. 6, 2004.
August 12, 2004
Tracking the
traffickers
Victor Malarek, author of a new book (The Natashas) about the global sex trade, says we should
stop focusing on its victims and start prosecuting those who buy and sell them.
Book Review by Julie Bindel
Canadian investigative journalist Victor Malarek immersed himself in the world of
pimps, traffickers, rapists and some of the most disenfranchised women and girls
in the world for four years.
The title of his book refers to the generic name given by customers to the women and girls
trafficked across international borders every year. Malarek estimates that trafficking in women
generates about $12bn (£6.6bn) a year, making it the third largest money-making
venture in the world, after trafficking in weapons and drugs.
Further details about the book are given as well as biographical details about the author.
August 13, 2004
Gardaí appeal
for help to catch Paiche’s killer
According to this article:
Gardai have made a public appeal for assistance in catching the person who murdered Malawi woman Paiche Onyemaechi.
The investigation ongoing and no arrests
have been made. Her Nigerian husband, Chika, remains missing and there
are fears that he may have left the country.
Paiche’s family, including her sister Lucy, brother Leon and father, Malawi
Chief Justice Leonard Unyolo, left Ireland last Wednesday with Paiche’s two
young sons. Unyolo is also understood to have met with Justice Minister Michael McDowell to ask that he be kept informed of every
aspect of the investigation.
Gardai are continuing to pursue a number of lines of inquiry, including Paiche's possible links to lapdancing and prostitution, as well as the possibility of a ritual killing.
August 14, 2004
£2.5M Funding to tackle trafficking
According to this article:
The
Humberside Police force has successfully secured Government funding to tackle
people trafficking in the North of England.
Officers believe the problem is particularly bad in the docks at Immingham and
Hull and are hoping the project will cut the number of illegal immigrants
entering the region, with many then passing through North Lincolnshire. Three of
the region's police forces have secured a £2.5-million Government cash injection
to help them tackle people trafficking.
The operation is part of Reflex, a national multi-agency operation.
In June, 11 illegal immigrants were held in custody after being discovered at
Immingham Docks.
Police said eight Vietnamese were found on the night of Friday, June 11 and
three Iranians were discovered on Tuesday, June 15. During the summer of 2003, officers estimated nearly 20 asylum seekers
a weekend were arriving via the port.
Police believe people trafficking is linked to other organised crime.
August 16, 2004
‘Sex for sale in lap-dancing clubs’
Abstract to follow
"Sex for sale in lap-dancing clubs". The Herald <http://www.theherald.co.uk/22128.shtml>
August 16, 2004
‘They come in all arrogant, but leave like little boys'
Abstract to follow
"They come in all arrogant, but leave like little boys". The Herald.
<http://www.theherald.co.uk/22129.shtml>
August 17, 2004
Call for tighter control over lapdancing clubs
Abstract to follow
August 17, 2004
Pole dancing ban for limos
Abstract to follow
Hughes, Gareth "Pole dancing ban for limos" Daily Post. Aug 17
2004. Nov. 21, 2004
<http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/regionalnews
/tm_objectid=14539843&method=full&siteid=
50142&headline=pole-dancing-ban-for-limos-name_page.html>
August 17, 2004
Call for
curbs on lap dancing clubs
Abstract to follow
August 18, 2004
New drive against limousine strippers
Abstract to follow
Aug. 18, 2004
"New drive against limousine strippers" MSNBC News Aug. 18, 2004. Nov. 19, 2004
<http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5745466/>
August 19, 2004
Charity exposes London's secret sex trade
According to this article:
More than 8,000 women are working as prostitutes in brothels, saunas and massage
parlours in London, according to a new report. The Sex In The City report by the
Poppy Project charity, which focuses on "off street" prostitution, found 730
brothels operating in the capital. The charity also found 66 supposedly
legitimate lap-dancing clubs where dancers were offering sex to clients. Three
quarters of the women are foreign, with many smuggled into the country from
eastern Europe and Asia by organised crime gangs, the charity said. Many are
used as sex slaves by the gangs with large brothels turning over up to £1
million a month. Women are often raped by their captors to force them to work
and have their passports and travel documents taken away so they cannot flee.
They are often forced to live in terrible conditions sleeping on floors and are
farmed out and moved around sauna-style establishments and flats. Girls can be
sold between brothels for up to £10,000 and may be sold on four or five times.
Some are even advertised on the internet, which police believe is fuelling
demand for the trafficking of vice girls. Last year the Metropolitan Police's
clubs and vice unit took 300 girls, 10 of whom were children, out of brothels.
"Charity exposes London's secret sex trade" Telegraph. Aug. 19, 2004.
Nov. 27, 2004. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;
sessionid=2NJJDAUZ2K4YVQFIQMFCM5OAVCBQYJVC
?view=HOME&grid=N1&menuId=-1&menuItemId
=-1&_requestid=89090>
August
20 2004
Plight
of London's hidden prostitutes revealed
Study shows total of 'off-street' sex workers, many foreign and enslaved
Abstract to follow
Branigan, Tania "Plight of London's hidden prostitutes revealed" The
Guardian. Aug. 20, 2004. Nov. 19, 2004.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/
0,3858,4997762-103690,00.html>
August 23, 2004
Two men arrested
According to this article:
Two men were arrested by gardaí investigating the murder of Malawian woman
Paiche Onyemaechi (25), whose badly mutilated body was found on a riverbank near
Piltown, Co. Kilkenny on July 23. The men, both Nigerian, were picked up in
Dublin's city centre late on Tuesday. One was released after 24 hours and the
other a day later, without any charges being brought. The dead woman's husband,
Chika Onyemaechi, has not been seen since shortly after her body was discovered,
and gardaí fear for his safety. The couple's two sons, aged three and 18 months,
are being taken to Malawi to live with Ms Onyemaechi's father, Malawian Chief
Justice Leonard Unyolo.
August 26, 2004
Permits charge against lapdance club 'too weak'
Irish Independent
Tim Healy
According to this article:
Stephen Pell and Gareth Ward, managers of Playmates and Shooters lapdancing clubs were cleared of employing documented workers by District Court President Judge Peter Smithwick. Pell and Ward were arrested during the Operation Quest raids in June of 2003. Smithwick said the case against them was too weak.
Pell and Ward claimed they had no role in employing two workers, Gunnar Luik, an Estonian barman and Babora Matesova, a Czech waitress and that it was the responsibility of their boss, Dave Long. Long is due to appear in court on similar charges in Sept. 2004.
August 25, 2004
Problems of catching massage parlours in the act
Abstract to follow
Hutchison, Tom "Problems of catching massage parlours in the act" Waltham
Guardian.
Aug. 25, 2004. Aug. 27, 2004.
<http://www.walthamstowguardian.co.uk/
display.var.521893.0.0.php>
August 26, 2004
Town makes top three in sex trade
According to this article:
The Poppy Project (Eaves Housing) reported (Aug 25) that Croydon has the third
highest number (38) of brothels and is one of 10 main areas for on-street
prostitution in London. Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea were the top two.
The 6 month study, authored by Sandra Dickson, investigated street prostitution
and off-street prostitution (services advertised in papers and websites).
Dickson said that an explanation may be due to the number of women using the
National Asylum Support Service (NASS), based in Croydon, who are preyed upon by
traffickers. She also mentioned the links between the sex industry and organised
crime.
The Home Office argued that no evidence exists to indicate a link between
foreign women working in the sex trade and trafficking, despite the fact the
Poppy Project works directly with women forced into sexual exploitation in the
UK. Croydon Council received copies of the report and will be meeting with
the police to address the situation.
The report is available from the Poppy Project on 020 7840 7130.
Menhinnitt, Daniel "Town makes top three in sex trade" Croydon Guardian.
Aug. 26, 2004. Nov. 20, 2004. <http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/
search/display.var.522154.0.
town_makes_top_three_in_sex_trade.php>
August 27, 2004
We spent
£400,000 to stop lap dance club moving in next door
According to this article:
The lap-dancing chain "For Your Eyes Only" intended to open a club in the basement
of the Radisson Hotel on Oswald Street in Glasgow and applied for a licence with
Glasgow City Council. They withdrew the application but stated that they
may still move into Glasgow. they instead teamed up with another dancing
firm "Privilege" to submit a joint bid for a former Mas nightclub in the Royal
Exchange Square, but that application had been denied. Licensing chiefs
now face a legal challenge in regard to that decision.
Barrhead Travel Agency, located adjacent to the unit entrance, were
outraged and purchased the lease of the unit themselves. Barrhead's chief
executive Bill Munro was concerned about female members of his staff and the
fact that they are a family business. They set up an internet customer service
center which is expected to cost the travel agency £425,000 in the first year
and will create 100 new jobs. The centre will deal with internet inquiries
and is expected to be operating by December.
These matters developed days after the publication of a report commissioned by
the Glasgow City Council in which researcher Julie Bindel of London University
recommended that lapdancing clubs should be licensed as sex shows rather than
entertainment venues.
Glasgow currently has four lap dancing clubs - the Truffle Club, Legs 'n' Co,
Diamond Dolls and Seventh Heaven.
"We spent
£400,000 to stop lap dance club moving in next door"
Evening Times Aug.
27, 2004. Nov. 20, 2004.
<http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/
print/news/5030014.shtml>
August 28, 2004
Pole-axed / Travel firm stop lapdance club
According to this article:
After a tip off, Barrhead Travel spent £350,000 drawing up a lease for the
cellar of their Glasgow building to ensure the For Your Eyes Only chain couldn't
open below their office. The space will be used for an internet operation.
Chief executive Bill Munro said: 'You could say it was a sneaky move,
absolutely. 'But the idea of intoxicated and aroused men coming in and out the
building was a no-go. 'I don't think our customers and staff would have mixed
well with their potential clients. The lapdancing chain, For Your Eyes Only, may
still move to Glasgow.
August 29, 2004
An Irish solution to Leeson Street
Abstract to follow
Mitchell, Susan. "An Irish solution to Leeson Street" Sunday Business Post Aug.
29, 2004. Nov. 24, 2004.
<http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2004
/08/29/story703481807.asp>
August 30, 2004
Second firm lodges Glasgow lap-dance club plan
According to this article:
A new attempt to open a lap-dancing club has been launched less than a fortnight after a licensing board ruled it would be a threat to public order and safety.
-
The Herald - Glasgow,Scotland,UK
<http://www.theherald.co.uk/23097.shtml>
(Bad
link, will attempt to retrieve article elsewhere)
August 31, 2004
Lap-dance protesters threaten to photograph customers
According to this article:
Male customers visiting lap-dancing clubs could have their photographs taken and
posted on a website, women's rights campaigners warned yesterday
August 31, 2004
Lap dancing
chain in new bid to open club in city
According to this article:
For Your Eyes Only, UK lapdancing chain hopes to open a lap dancing club in the
former Mas and will put its application before the licensing chiefs in October.
Claims were made it was in talks with another operator, Privilege, to engage in
joint venture at Mas. Privilege's application was thrown out as public
nuisance due to full nudity. Privilege owners are understood to be
preparing legal case. FYEO appears likely to succeed in bid for licence
due to "unblemished record" at club in Mayfair. Jim Coleman, deputy leader
of council, said moves are underway to block the application.
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