- Brothel boss convicted over 14yo worker
- The Age
- 03/02/2009 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 258 articles in 2009 )
A Melbourne brothel manager who let a 14-year-old girl work as a prostitute has been convicted and will be on the sex offender's register for life.
Janette Woods, 55, of Brookfield, was on Tuesday given a community-based order with 125 hours of unpaid community work for allowing the girl to work at the Brunswick brothel in 2007.
The girl worked at Pickwood Lodge between March 11 and May 20, 2007, but Woods told police she believed she was over 18, the Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard.
Woods pleaded guilty to 38 counts of allowing a child to take part in prostitution without taking reasonable steps to prove she was of legal age.
Magistrate Kate Hawkins said Woods acted negligently by failing to properly check the girl's identification.
But she accepted she was not involved in actively seeking to recruit a child into prostitution.
Ms Hawkins said Woods was a "low risk" offender with no prior convictions who had a stable work history and family life.
Ms Hawkins added she had pleaded guilty early, sparing the victim from giving evidence.
But she said a strong message had to be sent to the community through her sentence.
"Children need to be protected from becoming engaged in prostitution," she said.
Woods, who resigned from the brothel when the matter came to police attention, has six months to complete the order.
She was also placed on the sex offender's register for life, a mandatory requirement given the nature of the charges.
© 2009 AAP
Janette Woods, 55, of Brookfield, was on Tuesday given a community-based order with 125 hours of unpaid community work for allowing the girl to work at the Brunswick brothel in 2007.
The girl worked at Pickwood Lodge between March 11 and May 20, 2007, but Woods told police she believed she was over 18, the Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard.
Woods pleaded guilty to 38 counts of allowing a child to take part in prostitution without taking reasonable steps to prove she was of legal age.
Magistrate Kate Hawkins said Woods acted negligently by failing to properly check the girl's identification.
But she accepted she was not involved in actively seeking to recruit a child into prostitution.
Ms Hawkins said Woods was a "low risk" offender with no prior convictions who had a stable work history and family life.
Ms Hawkins added she had pleaded guilty early, sparing the victim from giving evidence.
But she said a strong message had to be sent to the community through her sentence.
"Children need to be protected from becoming engaged in prostitution," she said.
Woods, who resigned from the brothel when the matter came to police attention, has six months to complete the order.
She was also placed on the sex offender's register for life, a mandatory requirement given the nature of the charges.
© 2009 AAP
Source: https://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/brothel-boss-convicted-over-14yo-worker-20090203-7wak.html
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