The Criminal Court on Wednesday handed down prison terms of up to 13 years to operators of the Nataree massage parlour in Bangkok for illegally procuring young and migrant prostitutes last year.
The five defendants were sentenced for involvement in the operation of the massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road where migrant girls aged under 18 were found working in June last year.
Prosecutors told the court the Nataree parlour employed eight foreign girls older than 15 years but younger than 18 for purposes of prostitution from April 10 to June 7 last year.
Defendants were found guilty of human trafficking, having minors perform obscene acts and prostitution, housing illegally working migrants, illegally operating a massage parlour and illegally employing young workers.
Pong-anant Khanakhet, supervisor of the parlour, was given accumulated sentences of 13 years on six charges, and Somprasong Soijit, managing director of PSS Entertainment Co which ran the Nataree, a total of 12 years and 6 months. They were also each fined 15,000 baht.
Panarin Hanpatanakit, Atapha Laemae and Lapchulap Ngoentempiam were each sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in jail for procuring the young prostitutes. PSS Entertainment was fined 655,000 baht.
The court said it had commuted the sentences by half because they had confessed.
Prasert Sukkhee, who also known as Kolak and is the owner of the massage parlour, and seven other suspects remain at large.