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Gardai believe four young, vulnerable Romanian women who were arrested in Galway over the weekend, were trafficked into Ireland by a criminal gang to work in brothels across the country, a court was told.

The four young women, aged 21, 22, 23 and 30, who appeared before a special court sitting in Galway on Monday, are believed to have been brought into the country by either Dublin or Belfast-based pimps to provide sexual services for a large number of men through the Escort Ireland website.

The four young women deny this and claim they were acting alone to raise money for their impoverished families in Romania.

They were arrested at An Larnach in Bohermore, Co Galway at 11pm on Saturday, October 29 and pleaded guilty straight away to operating a brothel at that address.

The arrests were made an hour after Gardai quizzed a man leaving the apartment who said he had just paid €70 for sexual favours.

Gardai have also pointed the finger at the “greedy” Galway landlord who demanded €700 a week from the women for the use of the apartment near the city centre which would normally cost €350.

Detective Sergeant Willie Byrne told the special sitting of Galway District Court today that Gardai were carrying out surveillance of the apartment over the last number of weeks and they executed a search warrant on speaking to the man after he left the apartment at 10pm on Saturday night.

The four women were taken to Galway garda station where they accepted full responsibility for operating a brothel.

They were brought before a special sitting of Galway District Court on Monday where they huddled together, at times anxiously biting their nails or wiping away tears as a Romanian interpreter explained what was being said for them.

Det. Byrne gave evidence gardai did not know how long the young women were in Ireland but they had been in Mayo last week and after spending a week in Galway, it was their intention to go to Wexford next week.

The young women told gardai they had only arrived in Ireland last week and were acting alone, but Det. Byrne said he did not accept this.

“In any event they are four little girls and they made full admissions that they were providing sexual services to a large number of men through the website, Escort Ireland.

“They were paying €700 rent to a greedy landlord for an apartment that they should have been paying €350 for. So, they were being used and abused by a lot of people,” Det. Byre said.

In reply to Judge Gerard Furlong, Det. Byrne said he didn’t believe the girls when they told him they worked alone.

“I believe they are under the control of Dublin or Belfast-based pimps. They were in Mayo last week, Galway this week and Wexford next week.

“That would have to be organised by others. They wouldn’t have the ‘wherewithal’ to organise that themselves,” Det. Byrne said.

Gardai had confiscated €5,000 cash from the girls, he added.

Judge Furlong said he accepted the girls had not set up the brothel themselves and another party was involved who was not before the court at this time.

He asked if the girls had been put in touch with organisations which would help women in their “situation.”

Det Byrne said he had mentioned the help certain organisations could afford them, but the girls had assured him they were not trafficked into the country and they weren’t under any pressure. They said they would prefer to be repatriated back to Romania and he said he hoped what they had told him was genuine.

Judge Furlong said the girls should be made aware of organisations that were there to assist them, should they want that in their plight.

Defence solicitor, Brian Gilmartin said all of the women came from a very poor area in Romania and they told him they had come to Ireland to make some money to help their parents, some of whom were seriously ill.

“They are somewhat vulnerable and they didn’t believe their actions would bring them before the courts. They have spent two nights in garda custody and it’s been a frightening experience for them,” he added.

Ruling the girls were being used by others not before the court, Judge Furlong convicted and fined each of them €200, payable forthwith and asked the gardai to put them in contact with the relevant organisations who would help them.