A 69-year-old man from Deinze is facing one year in prison for human smuggling, human trafficking and pimping at the Bruges Criminal Court.
Prosecutor Frank Demeester explained that the accused had been participating in the prostitution scene for a long time. Today, he is accused of renting out rooms to sex workers in Kortrijk and Zulte.
The man already has a one-year suspended prison sentence in the Ghent Court of Appeal in October 2020, for offences from 2014 to 2017. For the period from March 2019 to January 2020, the Public Prosecutor on Wednesday demanded an additional effective prison sentence of one year.
Inspections at premises in Kortrijk and Zulte revealed he was renting out the rooms to people in a precarious situation, according to the prosecutor. "They cannot go to private houses, because they have no papers to work here officially," he said. For one of the houses, the accused paid €1,250 in rent, while he charged €70 per day per room. The five brothel rooms could total up to €10,000 each month.
The defence pleaded that after having problems with a massage parlour, the 69-year-old deliberately chose to rent rooms.
"He received the rent, nothing more and nothing less. Everyone was free to do whatever they wanted," said lawyer Peter De Becker. That statement was contradicted by a sex worker.
Finally, the defence stressed that there was absolutely no question of exploitation or physical violence. The court will rule on 17 January.
