R v Matyas Pis
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland |
| Judge | His Honour Judge Burgess |
| Judgment Date | 25 April 2012 |
| Neutral Citation | [2012] NICC 14 |
| Date | 25 April 2012 |
| Court | Crown Court (Northern Ireland) |
| Year | 2012 |
Neutral Citation No. [2012] NICC 14
Ref:
Judgment: approved by the Court for handing down
Delivered:
25/04/12
(subject to editorial corrections)*
ICOS NO. 11/109627
QUEEN
-v-
MATYAS PIS
_________
HIS HONOUR JUDGE BURGESS
[1] The defendant has pleaded guilty to four offences; two counts of
intentionally controlling the activities of another for the purposes of
prostitution for gain contrary to Article 63 of the Sexual Offences (Northern
Ireland) Order 2008; one count of assisting in the management of a brothel
between 24 November 2010 and 22 March 2011, contrary to Article 64(1) of
the Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008; and one count of
trafficking two persons into the United Kingdom for the purposes of sexual
exploitation, contrary to Section 57(1)(a) of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
The section 57 and article 63 offences are both serious and specified
offences within schedules 1 and 2 of the Criminal Justice (NI) Order 2008,
as amended by Schedule 1, paragraph 35 of the Sexual Offences (NI) Order
2008.
[2] The two women whom you are charged with trafficking are, like
yourself, of Hungarian origin. Although there is no indication that they
were brought into the United Kingdom or required to work in prostitution
against their will, they are still victims of sexual offences. For this reason,
they will be referred to in this judgment as A and B, and media reporting of
this case should not contain any details which would reveal their identities.
[3] This is the first time that the courts in Northern Ireland have had an
opportunity to sentence someone for trafficking offences, and as the
Presiding Judge at this court tier, I have been asked by the Lord Chief
Justice’s Sentencing Group to set out guidance for the courts until the
Court of Appeal has had an opportunity to provide an authoritative
guideline.
[4] Human trafficking is a global problem and we should not be blind
to the fact that it is happening right now in Northern Ireland. Women,
men and even children are being brought into this country, often against
their will, for the purposes of economic and sexual exploitation. They are
trafficked by individuals and gangs who give no thought to their suffering,
but are solely motivated by their own financial gain.
[5] The agreed facts of this case, to which I will turn shortly, confirm
that there is no allegation of coercion and corruption of unwilling victims
which marks cases at the higher end of the sentencing range for these
offences. However I want to take this opportunity to make it very clear
that anyone who is brought before the courts in Northern Ireland for
offences of this nature can, other than in exceptional circumstances, expect
a custodial sentence. That sentence will be heavier for those who coerce
their victims, who use violence against them, who sexually assault and
degrade them and who placed them in fear for their own or their loved
ones’ lives.
Factual background
[6] These offences relate to two women, A and B. On three occasions,
you arranged for A to enter the Republic of Ireland through Dublin
Airport, for her to work as a prostitute in Belfast. These were in December
2010, January 2011 and March 2011. On the third occasion, you also made
arrangements for B, who knew A, to come to Belfast through Dublin
Airport to work as a prostitute. A and B say that they asked you to book
their air tickets, and that you provided them with an apartment in Belfast.
They paid you rent for the apartment in Belfast, and paid back their
travelling expenses. On the third occasion, you drove A and B to Belfast in
your car and they gave you money for petrol. The agreed facts do not
indicate whether you received any further financial recompense for your
involvement and for that reason I cannot take this into account.
[7] The agreed statement of facts upon which you pleaded were that:
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R v Rong Chen, Simon Dempsey and Jason Owen Hinton
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