Brothel-keeper fined €1.5k for ‘Viagra-like’ pills

A convicted brothel-keeper has been fined €1,500 and given a suspended sentence for having dangerous unregistered Viagra-like pills on sale at a sex shop in Dublin.

Brian O’Byrne, of Capel St Dublin, and his former partner, Jacqueline Byrne, who has an address at Elmcastle Drive, Kilnamanagh, Tallaght, Dublin, were found guilty yesterday of breaking medicinal products regulations and stocking products which carry serious health risks.

The case was brought by the Irish Medicines Board in connection with products on sale at an adult shop called Shauna’s, which the defendants operated, on Dublin’s Capel St, in 2010.

Dublin District Court heard two authorised officers from the IMB carried out inspections at the shop, where videos, magazines, and toys were stocked.

Other products were on display, but did not form part of the case, and these included tubes of “enlarger”, “aphrodizzy”, and “orgasmus” creams, and products called “exotic bon-bons” and “superdong”.

The inspectors seized several samples of three products, which were imported from Britain: Kamagra tablets, an unregistered Viagra-like drug; coconut, peach, and passion fruit-flavoured Kamagra oral jelly; and tubes of Retardin. Tests showed the samples contained active ingredients that should only be sold by a registered pharmacist and under direction of a doctor or medical practitioner.

It was alleged that, on dates from Mar 23, 2010, until Dec 8, 2010, Mr O’Byrne and Ms Byrne kept and helped sell these products at the shop.

Mr O’Byrne and Ms Byrne had pleaded not guilty. Combined, they faced 25 charges under the Medicinal Products (prescription and control of supply) regulations.

Judge John O’Neill found them guilty and was told Byrne, 49, had no prior criminal convictions. Defence counsel Brendan Hennessy asked the court to note that Byrne was of limited means, had foolishly allowed her ties to the company to continue and from 2008 did not profit from it.

Judge O’Neill gave her a four-month sentence but suspended it on condition that she does not re-offend for the next 12 months.

O’Byrne, who did not give evidence, had four criminal convictions for offences committed in the late 1990s. His previous crimes were two assaults, one count of brothel-keeping — for which he was jailed for two years — and one charge for speeding.

Judge O’Neill said O’Byrne must pay a €1,500 fine within three months otherwise he will be jailed for 21 days, and imposed a six-month suspended term.