SINGAPORE - Four Chinese nationals who were involved in vice activities in HDB heartland were jailed between 10 weeks and 12 months on Friday.
The longest sentence was meted out to former bus captain Chen Ping Gen, 32, who pleaded guilty to seven of 20 charges - for conspiring with Jiang Ying, 28, and Gerald Koh Chee Kong, 38, to live on prostitution earnings, managing a place as a brothel, as well as harbouring and procuring women from China to work as callgirls.
His girlfriend, Liang Yadi, 23, came here to work as a prostitute in August, but gave up after two days. She then moved in to live with Chen. She was jailed for 10 weeks after admitting to two of three charges of helping Chen live on a 25-year-old's prostitution earnings.
Wan Jin, 23, was sentenced to six months' jail for living on prostitution earnings; harbouring and receiving a 24-year-old prostitute. Two other charges were taken into consideration.
Jiang, a factory operator, was jailed seven months on five charges. He had faced 13 charges,
A district court heard that after police arrested Chen and his girlfriend at a flat in Admiralty Drive in September, he revealed that he had helped prostitutes from China upload their sexual service advertisements on a website known as www.shichengbbs.com using his account.
Police then raided five flats in Selegie Road, Woodlands and Jurong and arrested seven prostitutes aged 24 to 46, all from China.
The court heard that while working for SMRT, Chen browsed websites advertising paid sexual services. After getting to know the webmaster, the latter taught him how to upload the photos on the website and write an introduction for the prostitutes.
Chen was introduced to Koh, who said he was dealing with immigration issues for foreigners. Koh has not been charged.
Chen started renting units in the northern part in May this year. He intended to rent the rooms to women to live in and provide sexual services.
Through Koh, Chen came to know Jiang and both started a joint venture to operate the pimping business.
Chen charged each woman $350 a month to advertise her sexual services, and paid Koh $50.
In the case of Wan, the court heard that the quality checker became involved in the vice trade when he started visiting prostitutes.
He then decided to create his own account to advertise sexual services of prostitutes for $100 each month, charging them between $150 and $250 a month.
