A Chinese man acted as a pimp, earning a commission of only $40 for every client he solicited. Because of this low commission, he attracted a 19-year-old fellow townswoman to "switch" to him. The man then arranged for her to come to Singapore to engage in prostitution, and was responsible for booking hotels, posting online advertisements, and contacting clients for her.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the Chinese national defendant Liu Daodong (42, transliterated name) on the 7th admitted to three charges, including living off the earnings of prostitution and violating the Women’s Charter, and was sentenced to 13 months and two weeks in jail and fined $3,000.
According to case facts, on June 11, 2024, at about 6:30pm, police carried out an anti-vice raid at a hotel in Serangoon, arresting the defendant and four female Chinese nationals on the spot. The four women admitted to offering sexual services at the hotel. Investigations revealed the defendant was responsible for booking hotel rooms for them, arranging client appointments, collecting money, and posting prostitution advertisements.
One of the sex workers, who was 19 years old at the time, testified that she originally worked for a prostitution ring in Macau and later planned to prostitute in Singapore. Dissatisfied with her original intermediary who took a $100 commission per client, she was introduced to the defendant by a friend. Upon learning that the defendant only took a $40 commission per client, she decided to let him make the arrangements.
In May 2024, the two reached an agreement online. The young woman was to pay for her own airfare and accommodation to Singapore, with the defendant helping her arrange more affordable lodging. She eventually arrived in Singapore on June 2; the defendant picked her up, took her to buy a SIM card, and accompanied her to check in to the hotel.
In court, it was revealed that the defendant then took over the phone number used by the young woman, specifically to communicate with and schedule clients, and would notify her via WeChat of the clients' arrival times. After each transaction, the young woman would inform the defendant so they could tally the number of clients she had served that day.