Woman in custody on brothel charges

A NIGERIAN woman charged with brothel keeping has been remanded in custody.

Clementina Omalade Festus, aged 28, was before Midleton District Court, Co Cork, yesterday charged with a breach of section 11 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993.

Gardaí arrested the woman at 21 Ard na Corann, Broomfield, Midleton, Co Cork on July 5. Inspector Senan Ryan told the court she was found in a brothel.

The inspector made an application for the woman to be remanded in custody until next Thursday to allow gardaí to make investigations to confirm her identity.

“We don’t know who she is. She had no identification,” said Inspector Ryan.

The inspector said he had a concern that the woman was trafficked into the country at some stage.

“Because of the trafficking situation that is there... we are convinced she is not part of it; she is a victim of it. We need to know how she came into the country,” he said.

The woman’s fingerprints and picture will be circulated to police stations throughout Europe through Interpol.

The gardaí have also been in touch with the Nigerian embassy, which the inspector said will need time to make enquiries.

The inspector told Judge Olann Kelleher that the woman had claimed there was an incident in Drogheda, Co Louth, where a passport was taken from her, but said there was no record of the woman on the Garda Pulse system.

Solicitor for the woman, Ken Murray, said his client was a “victim of circumstance”.

Judge Kelleher remanded the woman in custody until a sitting of Midleton District Court next Thursday.

On trial

- A NIGERIAN woman accused of human trafficking and brothel-keeping was served with a book of evidence yesterday and sent forward for trial.

Charity Ajayioba, aged 35, who is of no fixed abode, had been earlier charged at Dublin District Court under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act for organising, directing and running four brothels at Rathbraughan Park, Temple Street, and Connolly Street in Sligo, and at Auburn Court in Longford, on March 22, 2007. Another charge was brought under Section Two of the Illegal Immigrants Trafficking Act 2000.