SINGAPORE — A woman rented a unit and hired staff supposedly to set up a beauty salon but this was a facade. A police raid revealed her staff were working as sex workers and she was earning money as their pimp.
On Tuesday (Oct 24), Sukina Abdul Latip, 45, was sentenced to four months and four weeks’ jail, and a fine of S$6,500 after pleading guilty to three charges under the Women’s Charter.
Eight other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
The names of the women hired by Sukina cannot be published due to a court order to protect their identities.
According to court documents prepared by Deputy Public Prosecutor Mark Chia, investigations revealed that in about 2018, Sukina had rented a Teck Chye Terrace unit off Upper Serangoon Road for the purported purpose of providing facial and beauty services.
She hired local and foreign staff and was responsible for procuring the work permits for those from overseas.
However, the women were in fact hired as prostitutes who provided sexual services to customers for a fee.
Sukina was also responsible for sourcing and assigning the customers to the women.
She would do this through a chat group on WhatsApp and liaise between the women and the customers.
Under an agreement between Sukina and the women, they got to keep all the money they earned but paid Sukina S$50 from each transaction for using the rooms in the unit.
From Oct 28, 2020 to Sept 30, 2021, Sukina received not less than S$4,000 from one woman and about S$2,500 from another.
On the afternoon of Sept 30, police conducted a raid on the Teck Chye Terrace unit after receiving information about suspected illegal prostitution activities.
The sex workers Sukina hired were arrested in the raid. Details of their fate were not disclosed in court documents.
It was then that the women revealed to officers that Sukina was responsible for organising their prostitution services.
Sukina was arrested the next afternoon at her home.
In sentencing, District Judge Eugene Teo noted that Sukina has taken responsibility for her actions.
He added that he had some sympathy for Sukina, after having read her mitigation plea prepared by her defence counsel Lew Chen Chen and could see the challenges she had to face which ultimately led her to commit the offences.
These challenges were not outlined in open court.
For each charge of receiving gratification from the prostitution of another person, Sukina could have been jailed for up to seven years and fined up to S$100,000.
For leasing the unit to be used as a brothel, Sukina could have been fined up to S$100,000 or jailed for up to five years.