After a six-week long sting by police targeting prostitution in the Sydney’s downtown, it didn't take long for a couple of those charged to learn their fate.
Five of the men appeared in Sydney Provincial Court on Monday with two of them pleading guilty.
One received a $500 fine and the other a $1,000 fine.
“It’s a type of offence that is steeped in exploitation,” said Crown Attorney Shane Russell. “And, in particular, the vulnerabilities of the types of victims that are involved here. They happen to be members of marginalized communities.”
Court was told that in this latest case, a large percentage of the women come from the aboriginal community.
18 men were charged in total.
In a similar bust three years ago, twenty-seven were arrested.
“This isn’t a victimless crime,” Russell said. “There are real people here that become involved in this.”
Downtown businesses and visitors have also been affected.
These latest charges were dealt with the same week of the annual Sydney Waterfront Festival and during the height of the tourist season.
“We've been doing everything we can to create a welcoming atmosphere in the downtown core, and it’s not really a welcoming feeling when you're being approached,” said Michelle Wilson, the executive director at Sydney Downtown Development Association.
In one case, the judge ruled that half of the fine be paid in the form of a charitable donation to a local organization that helps women who may be vulnerable.
“The aspect of putting a donation to a charity, such as the Elizabeth Fry society, that was considered by the court was trying to have perhaps a meaningful consequence to the ultimate offence.”
It is hoped that it could be a different type of solution for an issue that is as old as time.
While the first group of men appeared in court here today, just blocks away from where some of the men were busted, there are still 13 cases to make their way through the court system.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald.
