Northern Ireland

Two Romanian brothers sentenced for controlling prostitution

Decebal Mihai
Decebal Mihai Decebal Mihai

TWO Romanian brothers have been sentenced to a total of seven years after admitting their role in controlling women for prostitution in Northern Ireland who earned a "significant six figure sum'' from the illegal sex trade.

Decebal Mihai (28), of Kenlis Street, Banbridge, Co Down, was handed a four year sentence while his younger brother Spartacus Ilie Mihai (21), of Henly Road, Ilford, in Essex, received a three year sentence.

Belfast Recorder, Judge David McFarland told the brothers that they would spend half their sentences in prison and the remainder on supervised licence following their release from custody.

The men were also made the subject of Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Orders - Decebal Mihai for ten years and Spartacus Mihia for 7 years.

They had pleaded guilty last month to the offence of controlling prostitution of a number of women on dates between December 2013 and May 2017.

The brothers also jointly pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to traffic women for sexual exploitation.

Spartacus Mihai pleaded guilty to acquiring criminal property of £12,015 in cash on dates between December 2014 and January 2017.

He further admitted converting criminal property, namely cash to the value of £14,451 between April 2016 and May 2017.

Decebal Mihai pleaded guilty to acquiring criminal property, namely cash to the value of £92,529 between December 2013 and May 2017.

He further admitted a separate charge of converting criminal property totalling £53,473 on dates between January 2014 and May 2017.

Spartacus Ilie Mihai
Spartacus Ilie Mihai Spartacus Ilie Mihai

Prosecution lawyer Rosemary Walsh asked that a further nine charges to be "left on the books in the usual terms'' in relation to human trafficking and Proceeds of Crime offences.

The court heard that up to six women were involved in selling their services over internet websites, including Escort Ireland, and earned in excess of £100,000.

Ms Walsh said the women were advertising their sexual services as "£100 for half an hour and £150 for a full hour''.

She told the court the women involved were "vulnerable'' as they aged between 18 and 19 at the time, they did not speak English and they all lived in a house with the two defendants.

The brothers were arrested in May last year following a covert surveillance operation by detectives from the PSNI's Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit.

The court heard undercover police officers would ring numbers advertised on the websites offering sexual service and arranged to meet up with the women, sometimes at hotels.

When the women turned up at the meeting point, police identified Decebal Mihai as the driver whose job was to "taxi'' the women to their meetings with male clients.

As a result of their arrests, police searched a number of properties in Banbridge and the Newtownards Road in east Belfast.

Following their arrests, police uncovered bank accounts and moneygram transfers of cash from the defendants to Romania.

The court heard that Decebal Mihai was the prime mover in the prostitution and even when he was visiting Romania the prostitutes were still sending him money from Northern Ireland.

Over £100,000 earned by the prostitutes over a three-year period was deposited in accounts in Northern Ireland.

A further £26,000 was said to have been wired to Romania.

Ms Walsh said there was no evidence that the women had been "forced or coerced'' into becoming prostitutes.

Judge McFarland told the brothers that following the completion of their sentences that "in all likelihood you will be deported'' back to Romania.

Speaking after the men were sentenced Detective Chief Inspector Noel Bell of the PSNI'S Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit said the investigation into the brothers was "the biggest'' ever carried out in Northern Ireland into human trafficking.

"Victims of human trafficking experience the most horrific of ordeals. Their captors subject them to a degrading life which violates their human rights and denies them their rights to life, freedom and safety."

DCI Bell said the brothers were part of a Romanian organised crime gang involved in trafficking women and police had received "valuable information" from a member of the public which prompted the investigation.

"It is unbearable to think what those victims have been through. They couldn't understand or speak English and probably didn't have access to much money. Understandably they were absolutely terrified and for all these complex reasons they would not co-operate with police, but thankfully these victims no longer have to endure this life of being exploited sexually on a regular basis."

The senior officer said the case was significant for two reasons. It was the first conviction and sentencing for a human trafficking for sexual exploitation offence in Northern Ireland under the new Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 and the first human trafficking conviction in Northern Ireland where the victims did not have to provide any evidence as part of the investigation.

"The victims were all reluctant to speak or say they had been trafficked but displayed many of the tell-tale signs such as visible unexplained bruises on their bodies, not knowing their address and not being able to speak much English. One of the victims admitted she was a prostitute but was too afraid to give evidence against the brothers.

"During the course of the investigation we discovered the one of the victims, who was only 19 at the time, had been arrested for stealing condoms from a shop in Banbridge.

"During our enquiries officers found 25 different telephone numbers linked to Decebal Mihai - 10 of which were linked to websites advertising escorts. We also identified seven telephone numbers which were linked to Spartacus Mihai, five of these were found on websites advertising escorts," he added.