KUCHING: The Sessions Court here today sentenced a pimp to nine years’ imprisonment and three strokes of the cane for living on the earnings of prostitution involving two foreign women.
Judge Noorhisham Mohd Jaafar handed down the sentence on 34-year-old Eko, who is from Indonesia, after he pleaded guilty to the charge, ordering that the jail term take effect from the date of his arrest on March 23.
The court heard that the accused was charged under Section 372A(1) of the Penal Code for knowingly living on the earnings from the prostitution of the two women – a 29-year-old Thai national and a 31-year-old Indonesian – at a spa premises along Jalan Airport at about 2.15 pm on March 23.
Investigations revealed that Eko, who entered Sarawak using a social visit pass, worked as a caretaker and cleaner at the premises since February this year.
However, he also acted as a facilitator by bringing customers to the women, managing payments, and supplying condoms for the illicit activities.
During a police raid by personnel from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Sarawak Police Headquarters, the accused and three foreign women were arrested at the premises.
Among items seized were a condom, lubricant, a towel, and RM300 in cash believed to be linked to the activities.
It was further revealed that the accused earned about RM1,100 per month and tested positive for amphetamine and methamphetamine.
In mitigation, the accused, who had no prior convictions, pleaded for leniency, telling the court that he has a child, a housewife, and elderly parents to support.
In a separate matter, Eko also pleaded guilty to overstaying his visit pass and was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment under the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The prosecution applied for the sentence to run consecutively.
The court further ordered that the accused be referred to the Immigration Department upon completion of his sentence.
Deputy Public Prosecutor, Ruvinasani Pandian, prosecuted the case, while Eko was unrepresented.
