Operators of pornographic website sentenced for living on prostitution
2005-11-17
Two men, charged by the ICAC, were today (Thursday) sentenced at District Court for conspiracy to live on the earnings of prostitution by operating a pornographic website, which provided a wide range of one-woman brothel information in Hong Kong.
Cheung Ming-man, 31, and Chan Sai-ngan, 29, were each sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, by Deputy Judge Abu Bakar bin Wahab. They were also each fined $100,000.
Cheung and Chan were earlier found guilty on a joint charge of conspiracy to live on earnings of prostitution between March and September 2003.
An ICAC spokesman said the case arose from a corruption investigation, alleging that some law enforcement officers had offered protection to brothel operators.
Four police officers and a former customs officer were subsequently charged and convicted of their involvement in vice-related and other criminal activities.
The spokesman noted that the investigation had led to the first prosecution in relation to a pornographic website for the offence of living on earnings of prostitution.
"The operation of such websites may promote lucrative ill-gotten gains, which in turn may be used to fund other illegal activities.
"As a precedent, the case sends a strong and clear message to the community that the court would not tolerate those who were criminally liable for living on earnings of prostitution."
The court heard that at the time of the offence, the defendants were the directors of KCMC Company Limited, operating a website which provided information on one-woman brothels in Hong Kong.
The defendants were appointed by a keeper of a brothel at Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, to take lewd photos of prostitutes. These, together with the data of the prostitutes and the services they were to provide, were uploaded on the website for public acce ss.
The defendants collected a monthly fee of $4,000 from the brothel keeper as "service charge", the court was told.
During the ICAC investigation, over 60,000 lewd photos were retrieved from the server of the website.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Jonathan Man, assisted by ICAC officer Grace Yee.
Cheung Ming-man, 31, and Chan Sai-ngan, 29, were each sentenced to eight months' imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, by Deputy Judge Abu Bakar bin Wahab. They were also each fined $100,000.
Cheung and Chan were earlier found guilty on a joint charge of conspiracy to live on earnings of prostitution between March and September 2003.
An ICAC spokesman said the case arose from a corruption investigation, alleging that some law enforcement officers had offered protection to brothel operators.
Four police officers and a former customs officer were subsequently charged and convicted of their involvement in vice-related and other criminal activities.
The spokesman noted that the investigation had led to the first prosecution in relation to a pornographic website for the offence of living on earnings of prostitution.
"The operation of such websites may promote lucrative ill-gotten gains, which in turn may be used to fund other illegal activities.
"As a precedent, the case sends a strong and clear message to the community that the court would not tolerate those who were criminally liable for living on earnings of prostitution."
The court heard that at the time of the offence, the defendants were the directors of KCMC Company Limited, operating a website which provided information on one-woman brothels in Hong Kong.
The defendants were appointed by a keeper of a brothel at Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, to take lewd photos of prostitutes. These, together with the data of the prostitutes and the services they were to provide, were uploaded on the website for public acce ss.
The defendants collected a monthly fee of $4,000 from the brothel keeper as "service charge", the court was told.
During the ICAC investigation, over 60,000 lewd photos were retrieved from the server of the website.
The prosecution was today represented by Senior Government Counsel Jonathan Man, assisted by ICAC officer Grace Yee.