A woman from China who procured five women for prostitution and earned $18,450 from them for 21/2 months was jailed a total of 14 months on Friday.
Zhang Changyan, 24, who faced 21 vice-related charges and two immigration offences, had admitted to nine charges including detaining two of the prostitutes against their will.
A district court heard that between April and June last year, Zhang managed a Lorong 7 Geylang premises as a brothel. She charged five women, aged between 25 and 43, $80 to $120 a day to use the place for their prostitution activities.
Investigation further showed that she would take sexually provocative photographs of these Chinese nationals and upload them on mobile phone application We Chat to advertise their sexual services.
She had lived on the immoral earnings of one Liang Gufen, 26, who served about 200 clients and made more than $16,000, $5,000 of which went to Zhang.
Zhang also procured one Hu Rongyin, 31, to work as a prostitute when the latter could not afford the $100-a-night stay at the flat. She harboured another, Ms Wei Xiaomei, 25, at the same place between April 9 and June 18, knowing that she had been procured for prostitution.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gabriel Choong said that when Ms Hu wanted to leave and not work any more, Zhang threatened to call the police and have her arrested. Ms Hu felt threatened and afraid, and thus continued to live there against her will until her arrest on June 18 last year.
Zhang also threatened Ms Liang after she had moved out of the premises, demanding that she return and apologise to her.
She threatened to call the police to have her arrested and to inform her brother in China of her line of work if she did not return by nightfall. Out of fear, Ms Liang returned,
After her arrest in June, Zhang tried to obstruct the course of justice by telling Ms Liang and Ms Wei to change their statements to the police by removing all references to them having paid her any money. She also made good her threat by contacting Ms Liang's brother, telling him of her work as a prostitute in Singapore.
Zhang was arrested on Oct 11 when she tried to leave Changi Airport with a passport bearing another person's name. She had $2,000 for the document.
