Bail for brothel couple

THE COUPLE remanded in connection with charges of running a brothel in Strovolos were released on bail yesterday.

The 40-year-old Cypriot and his 30-year-old Russian wife were arrested on August 5, after police raided the brothel parading as a massage parlour. Police confiscated a book with 160 names and numbers of clients and a hard disk containing explicit footage of clients.

One client turned police informant went to the massage parlour where he engaged in sexual activity with two women at the Strovolos apartment. Police later found the marked money he used to pay for the sexual act in the hands of the 40-year-old man.

A 25-year-old Moldavian was also present during the police raid but will not be facing charges. According to reports, she will be used as a main witness for the prosecution.

The married couple face charges of running a brothel, profiting from prostitution, and sexual exploitation. Police are not pursuing initial speculation that the couple were using cameras set up in the “massage” rooms to blackmail clients.

A judge in the Nicosia District Court yesterday agreed to postpone the court hearing until September 22 to give time for the couple’s lawyer to examine the evidence against his clients.

In the meantime, he set bail at €10,000 each. The two were ordered to hand over all travel documents to the police and report once a week to Ayios Dometios police station. Both have been put on the stop list, preventing them from leaving the country legally.

An interpreter was used for the 30-year-old Russian, who used to play a Russian character in the Sigma TV serial, Vendetta.

According to reports, clients at the massage parlour were charged €50 for a ‘normal massage’, €100 for an ‘erotic massage’, and €200 for an ‘erotic massage’ with two women.

The Moldavian reportedly received €10 per massage and €20 for the more specialised massage, regardless of whether she was accompanied by another woman or not. More women also allegedly worked at the brothel, but have since disappeared, said one news report yesterday.

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