Vaasa court gives couple suspended sentences for pimping

Ostrobothnia District Court has convicted a couple of pimping in Vaasa, with the woman receiving a six-month suspended sentence for aggravated pimping and the man a 70-day suspended sentence, Yle reports. Both plan to appeal.

The court found that the couple had rented premises to Thai massage therapists for several years, starting in 2014. The couple owned the premises, and prosecutors said customers could buy sex during massages.

The charges involved three locations, two in Vaasa and one in Lappeenranta. The court found that sex was sold at the Vaasa premises but said this could not be proven at the Lappeenranta location. It also found that the woman had worked as a masseuse at one of the premises and sold sex there.

The court considered the woman mainly responsible because she communicated with the masseuses and collected payments. The man helped interpret for her and handled bookkeeping and bills. The court found that the woman understood from the start that sex was being sold at the premises. It found that the man understood this only later, on March 24, 2022, when police searched their home and questioned them.

The court ordered the couple to repay a total of 15,800 euros in proceeds from the crimes, reducing the amount from just over 21,000 euros because no offence was proven at the Lappeenranta premises. It found that the man had received about 3,900 euros and the woman about 15,800 euros. Both must also pay a victim surcharge.

The couple denied the charges, saying they had simply rented premises to massage therapists and did not know that sex was being sold. The court rejected their explanation, citing witness testimony, photographs from the home search and the woman’s statement that she had sold sex. The witnesses’ identities will remain confidential for 60 years. The ruling is not final.