A Thai woman was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to multiple charges related to living off the earnings of prostitution. Her co-accused, a Bangladeshi man, denied the charge.
Magistrate Syarifah Nur Baqiyah binti Malai Shahran handed the sentence to Oranee Suila, 53, on Thursday. Suila was charged with living on the earnings of prostitution from three different Thai women over the course of several months.
The co-accused, 35-year-old Md Ataur Rahman, faces charges of abetting Suila by allegedly finding customers for the prostitutes. His case has been adjourned to September 24 for trial dates to be fixed.
Prosecutor Ahmad Firdaus Mohammad presented the facts during the hearing, outlining the investigation and the arrest that took place on August 19, following a police raid at a rented house in Jalan Jerudong, Kampong Sengkurong. The raid was conducted after receiving reports of suspected immoral activities.
Investigations revealed that Suila had been assisting multiple women for prostitution in finding customers in exchange for a portion of the payments they received.
One of the victims, a 42-year-old Thai woman, provided sexual services to around 20 customers between July and August. Suila received BND10 for each client she helped secure.
Another Thai woman, known as Yong, arrived in Brunei on August 9 and engaged in similar arrangements with Suila. Yong serviced up to 20 clients, with Suila receiving a similar share of the proceeds.
Police investigations uncovered that Suila had been involved in living off the earnings of a 31-year-old Thai woman, who had worked as a prostitute at the same house since December 2023. The 31-year-old reportedly provided sexual services to approximately 120 clients, with Suila receiving a total of BND270 from the 31-year-old’s earnings over several months.
Suila admitted to committing the offences, stating that she needed the money to cover her rent. The court took into account that she had no prior convictions.