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Hotel licensee pleads guilty to permitting sex workers to use hotel rooms for vice
SINGAPORE: The licensee of a budget hotel has pleaded guilty to permitting sex workers to use his hotel rooms for sexual services.
In what was described as a landmark case, 52-year-old Siah Chen Long who owns Shing Hotel at Kitchener Road in Little India had allowed the sex workers to ply their trade in his property.
The court heard that a police officer was on the lookout for vice activities around Kitchener Road on February 10 this year when he noticed a few women loitering around Shing Hotel.
They were seen approaching and talking to male passers-by.
The women then checked into the hotel with some of the men.
The authorities conducted a check on the premises and a hotel receptionist told officers that three of the rooms were occupied by guests.
They checked the rooms and arrested three women.
Investigations revealed that two of them earned between 50 and 100 dollars by providing sexual services to men inside the hotel.
The women were identified as Ngueyen Thi Ngoc Bich who's a Vietnamese and Nihar Sarmila Banu who came from Sri Lanka.
The authorities also found out that the latter had paid 15 dollars to rent a room there for an hour and also bought two condoms for four dollars from the receptionist.
Prosecution told District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan that the receptionist knew the women were sex workers and he had seen them at the hotel with different men on separate occasions.
Prosecution also asked for three weeks' adjournment to apply to court so that Siah's license could be revoked.
The case has been adjourned to 12 May.
A hotel licensee who knowingly allows sex workers to frequent his premises breaches the Hotels Licensing Regulations.
If convicted, Siah could be fined up to 1,000 dollars.
For a second or subsequent conviction, the licensee could be fined a maximum of 2,000 dollars.
The court may cancel or suspend any of the hotel's certificate of registration.
It may also cancel any license granted to the hotel. - CNA/fa
SINGAPORE: The licensee of a budget hotel has pleaded guilty to permitting sex workers to use his hotel rooms for sexual services.
In what was described as a landmark case, 52-year-old Siah Chen Long who owns Shing Hotel at Kitchener Road in Little India had allowed the sex workers to ply their trade in his property.
The court heard that a police officer was on the lookout for vice activities around Kitchener Road on February 10 this year when he noticed a few women loitering around Shing Hotel.
They were seen approaching and talking to male passers-by.
The women then checked into the hotel with some of the men.
The authorities conducted a check on the premises and a hotel receptionist told officers that three of the rooms were occupied by guests.
They checked the rooms and arrested three women.
Investigations revealed that two of them earned between 50 and 100 dollars by providing sexual services to men inside the hotel.
The women were identified as Ngueyen Thi Ngoc Bich who's a Vietnamese and Nihar Sarmila Banu who came from Sri Lanka.
The authorities also found out that the latter had paid 15 dollars to rent a room there for an hour and also bought two condoms for four dollars from the receptionist.
Prosecution told District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan that the receptionist knew the women were sex workers and he had seen them at the hotel with different men on separate occasions.
Prosecution also asked for three weeks' adjournment to apply to court so that Siah's license could be revoked.
The case has been adjourned to 12 May.
A hotel licensee who knowingly allows sex workers to frequent his premises breaches the Hotels Licensing Regulations.
If convicted, Siah could be fined up to 1,000 dollars.
For a second or subsequent conviction, the licensee could be fined a maximum of 2,000 dollars.
The court may cancel or suspend any of the hotel's certificate of registration.
It may also cancel any license granted to the hotel. - CNA/fa
