Alleged brothel keeper beat prostitute fiancé, court hears
An alleged brothel keeper employed his fiancé as a prostitute, beat her and made her lick his runners, it has been claimed at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
Mihai Selaru (aged 37) of Gateway Crescent, Ballymun is accused of bringing two women over from Romania to work as prostitutes by setting up profiles for them on the Escort Ireland website.
The Romanian national has pleaded not guilty to organising prostitution, keeping a brothel and living off the proceeds of prostitution between September 3 to 11, 2009 at an apartment on Liberty Square, James Joyce Street.
His former fiancé, a 30-year-old Romanian woman, gave evidence that she came over to Ireland with another woman and was collected from the airport by a man called Brian Murray who is due to give evidence later in the trial.
He took semi-nude pictures of the women and used them to set up their profiles on the website at the cost of €250 each. She said they bought condoms and tissues in a shop and then went back to the apartment where she had sex with Mr Murray.
Her name on the website was Diane and the rates were €230 for an hour or €130 for a half an hour. She said she had one client before Mr Selaru arrived a few days later. He asked her why she had not had more business as she was much prettier than the other woman.
She said she had to hand over all the money she earned while he took half of the other girl’s money. She had been with Mr Selaru for the past four or five years and “life with him was not easy”.
She said it was a very violent relationship and he would “beat me, take advantage of me and humiliate me.”
He thought she was in love with Mr Murray and after an argument he called her a whore and hit her across the face several times.
He told her he was leaving but would return every night to pick up the money. She said she begged him not to leave her and he made her kiss his runners and carry his bags up the stairs before hitting her again in front of the other woman.
She told the court that the other woman’s husband was due to come over but Mr Selaru was against this because she was not making enough money to support him. She said after an argument over this the woman left the apartment and did not return.
Several days later gardaí arrived at the apartment and found the woman having sex with a client while Mr Selaru was in the living room.
Mr Selaru’s fiancé disputed several assertions the other woman, a 26-year-old Romanian, had made previously in evidence. She told prosecuting counsel, Mr Patrick McGrath BL, that Mr Selaru had never denied the other woman food, although he did tell her she was not bringing in enough business.
She also said she was with the woman when she sent money home to her husband in Romania. The other woman had previously denied this, saying she had no money the entire time she worked for Mr Selaru.
Mr Selaru’s fiancé also disputed how they had met the woman in Romania. The other woman earlier claimed she knew Mr Selaru through her husband, whereas Mr Selaru’s fiancé stated they met through a pornographic website.
She said Mr Selaru had gone on the site looking for a couple to have “a foursome” with and got in contact with the woman and her husband. The four had sex on two occasions before making arrangements to come to Ireland.
She said both she and the other woman were fully aware they would be working as prostitutes when they arrived.
The trial continues before Judge Patrick McCartan and a jury of eight men and four women.
