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zubber

Pair jailed over Thai sex slave scheme

November 4, 2009 - 3:59PM
Pair jailed over Thai sex slave scheme AAP
A man and woman have been jailed over their roles in enslaving a Thai woman to work in Melbourne's sex industry.
Kam Tin Ho, 40, and Sarisa Leech, 37, were last month found guilty by a Victorian Supreme Court jury of intentionally using a slave. Leech was also found guilty of intentionally possessing a slave.
The pair was charged over a scheme in which a Thai woman, known as KW, came to Australia to work as a prostitute.
The court heard that after meeting Leech in Bangkok, an airfare and visa were obtained for KW to travel to Australia using false documents.
KW was told these arrangements created a debt and she would have to service 650 men in Melbourne brothels to pay it off.
The court heard clients would pay $125 for half an hour of sex, with $50 of that amount going towards paying off KW's debt.
She worked from 11am to 2am and would see as many as 16 clients in that time.
After paying off her debt in three to four months, she was told she could earn $50 of the $125 for herself.
She asked Leech and Ho if she could work less after paying off her debt but was refused.
Justice Lex Lasry said KW was under strict control, denied a key to her apartment, and her daily movements were monitored.
KW, who could not speak English, also had her passport taken from her.
The court heard KW sent about $25,000 of her earnings back to Thailand and bought a $6000 Rolex watch.
Justice Lasry said he was satisfied Ho and Leech had gained financially from the scheme.
"There could be no doubt that this arrangement under which KW performed the services that she did was highly exploitative," he said.
"KW was in Melbourne and unable to speak English.
"She had no money and was entirely dependent.
"The so-called debt seems particularly exploitative."
Leech was jailed for six years, to serve a minimum of three years and six months.
Ho, who was jailed earlier this year for 14 years for similar offences relating to other Thai women, had an extra six months added to his sentence.
He must serve a minimum of 11 years.

© 2009 AAP

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i'd rather have a phlebotomy than a full frontal lobotomy

tsicar

nothing new.
standard "contract" deal entered into by almost all thai whores working abroad, in fact this seems to be one of the "better deals".
these whores enter into the contracts willingly; contracts (women) are bought and sold, and all with the full knowledge and mostly accepted and condoned by the "victim"
sick thing is, that many of these whores (the one percent with a brain),end up working out the numbers, and then start their own businesses, perpetuating the cycle of abuse, buying and selling whores themselves.
mostly the ones who complain are the ones who did not make the money they expected to make.
99.999% of them enter into these "contracts" with their eyes wide open, and willingly subject themselves to this shit.
no need to feel sympathy for a whore whose " vulnerability and need to support her proverty-stricken family" led her to be trapped in this situation, then blew what little she made on a fukkn rolex watch!
right now, in south africa, i could buy a thai whore's contract for around the equivalent of 100 000 baht, and hold her to, or sell her contract on for for more than double that, and she would be quite happy with the arrangement.
sorry guys:
those of you that "rescued" your thai whore future wives from the "horrors of slavery and prostitution" were lied to and ripped off.
it is an "asian thing", has been for many hundreds of years; has fukkall to do with poverty or need: only greed and cultural acceptance and tolerance of the system that they willingly subject themselves to.

............an abberant and disgusting culture and tradition, accepted and condoned and defended (not officially) by most thais.

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chitown

Kingwilly, you must have had internet access!!!

natalie8

Ho and Leech?

tsicar

(w)ho got the money and who was the leech?

DrAndy

whilst many abhor prostitution, many others are hypocrites, having used their services and now go on about how bad it is and how they deserve everything they get etc etc ad nauseam

the point is, this woman agreed to pay off her debt and having done so was constrained into continuing to work more men than she wanted to. Her liberty was restricted, her passport taken away and the rest of it

that is why the judge convicted the pair

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keep 'em coming

tsicar

bull-fukkn-shit!

DrAndy

still feeling bitter?

tsicar

no andy.

............but keep patting yourself on the back if you fit the profile!
i have respect for people who do the right thing and "rescue" these poor, defenceless women by way of paying off their "contracts", family debt etc. and marrying them, but i pity them too, for their ignorance of thai culture and their self-inflicted blindness and inevitable destruction.

ruthless

The 2 thai prostitutes involved in the Dobie case in Australia last October ( and he ended up with only 22 months hard time)ended up with permanent visas--so sometimes all's well that ends well

Sdigit

All sounds a little harsh to me

Smithson

Similar to the UK trafficking in all forms is a big issue. The Aust govt has been clever to come up with the slavery laws, as it would be difficult to get ppl for trafficking, because the 'victims' are aware of the type of work they will be doing.

Seems more like bonded labor than slavery, as KW was paid. Nonetheless, I'm sure those two weren't the nicest couple.

Would be interesting to see a broader investigation. I'm sure the Victorian police were getting nice kickbacks.

StrontiumDog

Exploitation...used and controlled....

16 men a day. Yikes! Sounds like a living hell.

DrAndy

no, I don't fit the profile but I thought you did

Mr R Sole

Hey that's more money than I earn teaching these feckers!!! There's also no way i could send 25k home and buy a rolex watch!!! great ISA I say..PEP me up please...

On the other hand being hed against your will, nad being made to shag hideious old types with god knows what diesese's would be a tad of a downside.

Was she able to stay in Oz or was she sent back to work in the crappy low paying bars of her own country????

Bet she's looking for a farang hubby right now....

English Noodles

No doubt one of the TD readers would snap her up as a good bet.

wefearourdespot

After paying off her debt in three to four months, she was told she could earn $50 of the $125 for herself.
A 60% taxation. About the same imposed by Australian gov on its own slaves, I guess. Unfortunately, governments don't like competition.

wefearourdespot

was wondering...if Ho and Leech got 14 and 6 years for having offered a Thai kalee the opportunity to make 30,000 bucks, how many years should be given to farangs who marry a Thai kalee and buy her a car and a house ?

Mr R Sole

^ Sentenced to death...or is that choking!!!
the salmon moose....oh sorry it was Moo Gop...