Women fined for running brothel

FOUR women were convicted and fined yesterday for running a brothel in an apartment in Cork city centre.

The four foreign nationals all pleaded guilty to a charge of managing a brothel at an apartment in Fisherman’s Wharf, Washington Street, Cork, on February 17 last.

The four, Maria Canellas, aged 21, from Spain; Rosalia Mehr, aged 33, from Hungary; Yessenia Ruiz, aged 27, from Nicaragua; and Elson Matos, aged 27, from Brazil, all pleaded guilty to that charge at Cork District Court.

Inspector Eileen Foster said the maximum possible fine was €1,269 and/or six months in prison. Judge David Riordan imposed a fine of €800 on each. He gave them a week to pay or else 90 days in prison in default of payment.

The four were arrested last month by Detective Garda Neil Walsh and Garda Marja Furphy.

Garda Furphy testified the four parties were arrested as a result of an ongoing investigation into prostitution. It was established the women were operating a brothel out of the apartment at Fisherman’s Wharf. They are no longer living at that apartment and are of no fixed address in Cork.

The case had been put back until yesterday to clarify the issue of whether they had a right of electing for Cork District Court or Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

It was clarified that they did not have a right of election on the charges. The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that the matters should be dealt with at the district court.

Inspector Foster said the defendants had no previous convictions in Ireland.

The four had no legal representation in court and all of them pleaded guilty and declined the offer to say anything in their defence.