Trafficker And Pimp Jailed For Seven Years

A woman who lured women into Northern Ireland and forced them to work as prostitutes has been sentences to seven years in prison.

Rong Chen, 35, told women they would work as childminders but instead rotated them around five or more brothels in several cities, using threats of violence and murder to prevent them from escaping.

Mr Justice Ben Stephens said: "You trafficked four women as an adjunct to and to facilitate a large-scale commercial operation of controlling prostitution for gain."

Chen was caught after officials at Belfast's Stena Line ferry terminal became concerned for the safety of two women and detained them, in May 2009.

Mr Justice Stephens said Chen "sexually exploited and degraded women as a commodity for financial gain, irrespective of the impact on them and their lives".

Chen, from Kidderminster in Worcestershire, used threats to control the women she had trafficked.

She told them her husband was a Chinese Triad gang leader and she had contacts in the police, as well as telling at least one woman that she would murder her if she tried to leave.

Knowing the women were illegal immigrants allowed her to threaten them with deportation.

Chen's husband Jason Hinton was sentenced to 220 hours of community service for aiding and abetting the control of prostitution, while former policeman Simon Dempsey from Cloughey, County Down was given nine months in prison on the same charge.

It is believed the operation raked in more than £280,000 over an 18-month period.

(NE)