Jail after teen forced into 70-hour weeks in brothels
Two men have been jailed after a teenager was trafficked to Australia to do sex work in brothels for up to 10 clients per shift.
Surya Subekti, 45, illegally lured a vulnerable 17-year-old girl from Indonesian slums to Australia as an escort in January 2024.
She was subjected to forced labor in brothels in Sydney and Gosford, servicing five to 10 clients a night for approximately two months.
Elton Valentino, 32, took the victim to brothels where she was assigned to work each night.
In a powerful statement read out in Sydney’s Downing Center District Court in early July, the victim said the work was “a shock to my body”.
He described stomach pains, severe blood loss, and difficulty walking; He was later diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection.
“Before I came to Australia, I was like any other child; I was happy and had never experienced any trauma before,” he said in his statement.
“It’s hard to trust other people anymore… I can’t feel happy anymore.”
On Friday, Judge Nicole Noman acknowledged that impact.
“These types of crimes presuppose real harm,” he said in sentencing.
Subekti used the pseudonym ‘Batman’ to arrange visas for many women who would do sex work in Australia.
Both men tried to claim that the girl had been a sex worker at a karaoke house in Jakarta and had come to Australia voluntarily knowing what she would do here.
The judge refused, saying the teenager was a child under Australian law and could not give informed consent.
According to the contract, he was required to work 10 to 12 hours every day for three months, with three days of sick leave.
Thousands of dollars in wages were cut.
Judge Noman knew that Subekti was a minor and that he was intermediary in her trafficking, arranging her flight, visa and subsequent attendance at various brothels.
He had complete control over her finances, deciding when to give her a cash advance and providing her with food, menstrual pads, and personal hygiene products in lieu of a salary.
Forced labor ended in March 2024 when federal police raided a home in Banksia, south of Sydney, where she was found with ten other women.
Valentino was paid to take women to brothels around Sydney.
The man said he did not know the victim’s real age and told police he thought she was 24.
However, the judge found that the woman had been reckless about the significant risk that she was underage.
Judge Noman sentenced Subekti to more than six years in prison for his senior position and found he had shown no remorse.
He told a psychiatrist that he trafficked to cope with financial pressures caused by his gambling problem.
After time served, Subekti will be eligible for release in November 2030, following the end of his minimum sentence of four years and five months.
The driver, Valentino, was given a maximum prison sentence of two years and eight months.
She voiced her insight to a forensic psychologist, telling him that it was “not right” and “really awful” for people under the age of 18 to engage in sex work.
Once his sentence is served, he will be released on August 28, when his minimum 22-month term ends, and will be placed on a five-year good behavior bond.
Both men will be placed on the NSW child protection register upon their release.
A joint investigation between the Australian Federal Police and the Indonesian National Police has led to a Jakarta woman being charged with human trafficking offences.
Indonesian police found six women who were scheduled to travel to Australia with the union but prevented them from leaving.
A 35-year-old woman who allegedly enrolled the woman in a Sydney college to extend her stay was arrested by federal police and taken to the Villawood detention center because she was a non-citizen.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Resolution Support Service 1800 211 028
