The owner of a former Galway lap dancing club and his company was convicted yesterday, along with two of his management team, of employing an African woman as a lap dancer in their club last year who did not have a work permit.
In court yesterday, Patrick O'Keeffe gave evidence that he kept strict control over his lap dancing club in Dublin, but that the club in Galway had since been closed down and the company, Fat Chef Catering Ltd was in the process of being wound up. "I was not able to control it myself," he said.
Mr O'Keeffe said that after hearing about the new legislation relating to work permits through the media, early in 2003, he instructed his staff working at both clubs in Dublin and Galway to check dancers identities and to photocopy their documents for "back-up" purposes.
He emphasised that the dancers were self-employed and while the company, which took 50 per cent of their takings after a performance, paid tax on that money, it was up to the dancers to pay their own tax, he said.
Mr O'Keeffe explained to Judge Conal Gibbons that punters could purchase tokens from management in the shape of dollar bills, to buy a private performance or lap dance by a particular dancer of their choice.
The court had heard that when gardaí raided the club at Upper Salthill, Galway, as part of Operation Quest, on June 5th, 2003, they found a topless Ms Ajayioba "lap dancing" astride a male customer on a couch in a curtained-off area.
Patrick O'Keeffe, Griffith Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin was convicted of having in his and the company's employment on June 5th last year at Angels nightclub, non-national Ms Charity Ajayioba, who was not in possession of an employment permit, issued by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, contrary to Section 2 of the Employment Permits Act, 2003.
The accused, along with co-accused, general manager of Angels, Danny Kenny, Knocknacarra Park, Salthill; and manager, Michael Clarke, Knocknacarra Park, denied the charge.
Judge Gibbons convicted the company and all three accused of having Ms Ajayioba in their employment without a work permit. The judge fined Fat Chef Catering Ltd €400, Mr O'Keeffe €400 and the other two accused, €150 respectively on that summons. He also ordered Mr O'Keeffe to pay €732.88 expenses to three State witnesses, including €130 to Ms Ajayioba.