Adelaide man jailed for luring teenage girl to become sex worker
AN Adelaide man lured a teenage girl into becoming a sex worker at his suburban brothel after befriending her on Facebook, the District Court has found.
AN Adelaide man lured a teenage girl into becoming a sex worker at his suburban brothel after befriending her on Facebook, the District Court has found.
Jonathon Simon Pitt, 27, of no fixed address, will spend at least six years and five months in jail after being convicted of a series of child sex offences against two victims between October 2015 and April 2016.
Pitt pleaded guilty to three counts of enabling a child under 18 to provide commercial sexual services, three counts of asking a child under the age of 18 to provide commercial sexual services and five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 17.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of supplying a controlled drug to a child and one count of keeping or managing a brothel.
The court heard Pitt’s offending stopped when police raided his brothel after receiving information that underage girls were working as prostitutes at the premises.
In sentencing remarks published online, Judge Jane Schammer said Pitt befriended a 16-year-old girl on Facebook in January, 2016, and told her he could help her find work.
The court heard he had unlawful sexual intercourse with the girl and then several days later Pitt, who was 25 at the time, asked her to become a sex worker at his brothel and she agreed.
“This was in the context of you desensitising her to the realities of this work by showing her advertisements for it, asking her to take phone calls from clients, facilitating bookings and meeting with another sex worker,” Judge Schammer said.
The court heard the girl undertook sex work with a number of clients over a period of just over two months from the end of January, 2016.
“On 6 April 2016, at (Pitt’s) request, (the girl) was booked to engage in sex work with other clients which was interrupted when police attended at the premises after receiving information that there were under-aged girls providing commercial sexual services from those premises,” Judge Schammer said.
The court also heard Pitt, who had a history of drug abuse, supplied another 16-year-old girl with cannabis in October 2015 and had unlawful sexual intercourse with her.
He tried to recruit the girl to work in his brothel but she declined.
Judge Schammer said the crimes against the victims had a devastating effect on them.
She said the girl who worked at Pitt’s brothel “remains fearful of going out in public places should she be recognised by a former client”.
The court heard the other girl suffered post traumatic stress disorder as a result of Pitt’s offending.
“She has harboured guilt, not only blaming herself for what happened with (Pitt) but for not coming forward earlier to prevent (him) from harming others,” Judge Schammer said.
The court was told Pitt was remorseful and took full responsibility for his actions.
Judge Schammer sentenced him to eight years in prison with a non-parole period of six years and five months, backdated to July 6, 2016.
She also imposed an intervention order against Pitt, prohibiting him from contacting the victims or coming within 100m of them.