Fadley Faisal

A local couple who pleaded guilty to prostitution and living partly out of prostitution earnings were fined and sentenced to jail by the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Elisa Preshilawati binti Dato Haji Muhd Juned, 37, was ordered to settle a BND1,500 fine or serve a month’s jail in default for prostitution while Muhammad Firdaus bin Haji Suhaimi, 36, got four weeks’ jail for living on earnings from Elisa’s prostitution.

Elisa said she committed the offence out of desperation from not being able to find a job to feed her children, two girls aged 11 and nine and a six-year-old boy.

She also mentioned about the stress she was undergoing due to a broken marriage.

Magistrate Pengiran Hazirah binti Pengiran Haji Mohd Yusof said Elisa should have not resorted to the vice and should have set the standards of being a mother.

Muhammad Firdaus also pleaded for leniency.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor ‘Adliatul Hidayah binti Haji Mohd Zaidi revealed in court yesterday the turn of events and details from police investigations.

The duo had been involved in the vice since August 2018.

She had five to six customers in a day at times since then.

Elisa had scouted for clients on social media and directed them to a designated hotel room.

The clients would pay cash and some through online banking.

Muhammad Firdaus is implicated in the vice as he had cohabited with Elisa and knew that she had earned from prostitution.

Elisa’s earnings were spent on herself and Muhammad Firdaus for personal daily expenses and on Elisa’s children taken care of by her mother.