Pimp jailed a month for helping to run family vice ring

Leong Kum Seng (above), pleads guilty to procuring two Vietnamese women for the purposes of prostitution and helping his younger brother in managing a brothel in Geylang. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
Leong Kum Seng (above), pleads guilty to procuring two Vietnamese women for the purposes of prostitution and helping his younger brother in managing a brothel in Geylang. -- ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA

A man was jailed for a month on Wednesday for helping out in a family vice business. Leong Kum Seng, 57, pleaded guilty to procuring two Vietnamese women for the purposes of prostitution and helping his younger brother in managing a brothel in Geylang. Their sister, 59, was also involved in operating the vice ring.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Houston Johannus told a district court that the brother had rented a terrace house in Lorong 24 Geylang. He then converted it into an illegal lodging house to be used by the Vietnamese women to provide sexual services to clients.

Investigations also revealed that Leong had received two prostitutes at Changi Airport on May 11 last year. He committed the offence of procuring them for prostitution by instructing the duo to charge $26 for sex with each client. He also told them to learn the trade from the "senior girls" at the brothel.

Leong would collect $6 as rental for the room for each sexual session. He also helped his brother, Leong Kum Hoong, 54, by tidying the premises and keeping a lookout for the authorities conducting raids between March 27 and July 25.

Asking the court to impose a deterrent sentence of at least three months, DPP Johannus said that Leong had links with agents in Vietnam and was part of a syndicate that exploited women.

Pleading for compassion, defence counsel Terence Hua pointed out that there was no evidence that the women had been coerced or deceived into coming to Singapore to work as prostitutes.

The sister was fined $2,000 for vice offences last month. The brother has been charged but not dealt with yet.

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.