I employed under-age prostitute

June 11, 2003

A BROTHEL owner has pleaded guilty in the District Court to employing a teenage girl as a prostitute over a three-month period. The case has prompted a state politician to renew his calls for legalised prostitution which, he says, would stamp out under-age workers through tighter regulations. But sex workers say closer attention should be paid to the under-age girls themselves, especially those using a fake driver's licence to gain work.  Yesterday, Angela Wilkins, 40, of Mitchell Park, pleaded guilty to employing a child to provide commercial sexual services. The offences occurred between January 16 and March 18 last year at the Bare Bunnies brothel in Rosewater.

Brothel owner Angela Wilkins who pleaded guilty in court.

The girl employed by Wilkins, whose exact age was not given in court, cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Bare Bunnies had previously operated in Unley before it was closed by order of the Environmental Resources and Development Court.

Wilkins had been jointly charged on five of the offences with Ian Anthony Shaw, 41, of Myrtle Bank – who is in custody on another matter – but the counts against him were yesterday dropped.

Judge Peter Herriman remanded Wilkins on continuing bail for sentencing submissions next month.

Liberal MP Mark Brindal said the incident would have been less likely to occur under state-wide legalised prostitution.

Mr Brindal, who last year proposed a Bill to regulate the profession, said legalisation would allow brothels to screen potential employees and not have to rely on potentially false identification, such as a driver's licence.

"I don't actually approve of the sex industry, but I think it needs to be legalised so society can set limits as to what is tolerable," he said.

"Employing under-age workers is abhorrent, obnoxious and morally wrong – and the reason the law needs reforming is that we pretend it doesn't happen while it actually does."

He said the Bill would also allow for prosecution of the employee, the brothel owner and the client if it were proved the worker was under-aged.

"If you face up to the fact the situation exists, then you have a way to control it and apply limits to it," Mr Brindal said.

A BROTHEL owner has pleaded guilty in the District Court to employing a teenage girl as a prostitute over a three-month period.