Women trafficked by gang to work in brothel

Four young, vulnerable Romanian women who were arrested in Galway over the weekend, were trafficked into Ireland by a criminal gang to work in brothels, gardaí believe.

The four women, aged 21, 22, 23 and 30, who appeared before a special court sitting in Galway yesterday, are believed to have been brought into the country by either Dublin or Belfast-based pimps to provide sexual services for a large number of men through the Escort Ireland website.

The four deny this and claim they were acting alone to raise money for impoverished families in Romania.