Date: February 05 2013
One of several women allegedly forced into sexual servitude at a Sydney brothel was told she had to perform a sex act involving ice cubes and green tea, a court has heard.
One of the alleged victims, known only as Witness A, told the District Court in Sydney on Tuesday that she was not allowed to select her customers or the hours she worked when she came to Sydney from Malaysia in September 2008.
Chee Mei Wong, 37, has pleaded not guilty to conducting a business involving the sexual servitude of other people and six counts of employing and exploiting non-citizens in breach of their visa.
The crown has alleged Wong, also known as "Yoko", ran the Diamonds brothel in Willoughby in Sydney's north between 2008 and 2010.
She allegedly employed six women of Indian background, who were recruited in Malaysia and sent to Australia on student visas.
The women spoke little or no English and were told they would have to work until they paid off the cost of their airfare, visa and course fees - amounting to a debt of about $5000.
The court was told of a conversation between Witness A and Yoko at the brothel, during which Yoko asked her, "Why aren't you bringing anything into the room?"
Witness A said, "What for?" and Yoko replied, "You have to use ice cubes and green tea when serving the customers," the court heard.
The jury was told this referred to a sexual act.
When Witness A said she didn't want to do it, Yoko replied, "You have to. You go back to the customer and when you are finished I want to speak to you."
The allegations were recorded in a statement the woman later made to the Australian Federal Police (AFP).
The woman, who previously worked in the sex industry in Malaysia, said she could not choose her customers or the hours she worked, which she said were from 11am to 3am.
But she agreed with defence barrister Bruce Quinn that she made her own way to work, had a mobile phone and spoke regularly to her family.
Another woman, known as Witness B, told the court she met a man called "Johnny" in Malaysia who organised a passport, visa, airline ticket and $A1,000 in "show money".
"That was when I landed in Australia and if a person asked me, I've got to show that money," the woman said through an interpreter.
She said she thought she was coming to Australia to study and did not find out she would be working in a brothel until her second day in the country in December 2008.
The trial continues before Judge Deborah Sweeney.
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