A BROTHEL keeper who allegedly beat his prostitutes and threatened to starve one if she did not bring in more business has entered a guilty plea in the middle of his trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
After discussions between the parties, Mihai Selaru (37) of Gateway Crescent, Ballymun, pleaded to one charge of keeping a brothel in the city centre. Prosecuting counsel, Patrick McGrath, indicated he would be applying to have the remaining charges struck out on a later date.
The Romanian national had pleaded not guilty to organising prostitution, keeping a brothel and living off the proceeds of prostitution between September 3rd-11th, 2009, at an apartment on Liberty Square, James Joyce Street.
It was halfway through day three of his trial when Selaru told his counsel he wanted to change his plea. The charges were read out again in front of the jury and after a pause, Selaru answered guilty to the charge of brothel keeping. Judge Patrick McCartan thanked the jury for their time and remanded Selaru in custody with consent to bail until sentencing later this month.
A 30-year-old Romanian woman gave evidence earlier in the trial that she had to hand over all the money she got from clients to her fiance. She said it was a very violent relationship and he would “take advantage of” and humiliate her. A 26-year-old woman, also from Romania, told the court Selaru promised to get her a cleaning job in Ireland paying €350 a week. She said she arrived with his fiance and a man took their pictures to be uploaded to a website called Escort Ireland. She said she had no money and was not allowed to leave the apartment unaccompanied, and at one point he threatened that, because she was not bringing in any money, he would not give her any food.