McKinnon Express Massage 2 declared a brothel despite owner Tiffany Nguyen’s denial

It had staff advertised on sex classifieds sites and offered sexual “extras” to an unsuspecting male customer, but the owner of a McKinnon massage parlour denied it was an illegal brothel. However a magistrate wasn’t buying her story.

A court has declared Express Massage 2 in Jasper Rd, McKinnon, a brothel.

A McKinnon massage parlour next door to a MP’s former campaign office has been caught operating as a brothel.

Express Massage 2 at 252 Jasper Rd had been running as a knocking shop while Nick Staikos ran his 2018 election platform from number 250.

It was an unhappy ending for business owner Tiffany Nguyen at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court yesterday as her premises was issued with a proscribed brothel order, effectively closing it down.

Mr Staikos’ staff and several neighbours had repeatedly complained to police about men, aged in their 40s and 50s, arriving at all hours and then leaving a short time later.

The Bentleigh state MP’s campaign was a success and he subsequently moved out of the Jasper Rd office, only to ironically be replaced by a second massage parlour.

There is no suggestion that second massage parlour has engaged in any wrongdoing.

In court Ms Nguyen had contested an application by police to proscribe the site as a brothel, but her testimony, denying she oversaw sexual services being offered, was described as “vague and ambiguous” and difficult to be accepted as truthful.

The court heard a man who innocently went for a massage for his bad back on September 20 last year was “shocked and surprised” to be propositioned.

He said he was suffering tension after a long day at work and his normal massage provider had already closed.

He was driving along Jasper Rd and saw Express Massage 2 and went inside, specifically asking for a massage to treat his sore shoulder and back.

But after 20 minutes of being massaged he was asked if he wanted “any extras”.

He inquired if that meant a steam room or sauna, but was told by the “minimally clothed” woman, she meant sexual acts or sex.

He was angry, left and reported it to police.

An undercover officer visited the massage parlour on October 22 and, while not offered sexual services, he was greeted by a woman wearing a short skirt and high heels and “showing a substantial amount of cleavage”.

Owner Tiffany Nguyen denied Express Massage 2 offered sexual services.

The court heard police research of websites such as Locanto showed ads for Express Massage 2 had images of scantily clad women, mentions of new girls from a variety of countries, text including “promises a good time for you” and, what the police investigator described as images of a woman with “breasts hanging out of her top”.

Ms Nguyen took the stand, denying sex services were part of her “professional” massage business and this “was a made-up story”.

She said even though there had been approximately 100 women working at the Jasper Rd and her sister site in Glen Iris over the past few years, none had ever offered extras.

She said they were all either qualified or were trained by a teacher she employed, but she repeatedly stumbled on naming the teachers, and did not record any of their supposed qualifications.

MORE: UNHAPPY ENDING FOR HEALING HANDS BROTHEL

SHOPLIFTER FLOGGED BEDSHEETS TO BROTHELS

BROTHELS SHUT DOWN AFTER COUNCIL STING

A regular customer of Ms Nguyen’s also took the stand, saying “somebody was trying to set her up, run her out of business”.

But Magistrate Jade Bott said the massage industry was largely unregulated and “very questionable”.

“I very much doubt any of her employees held suitable qualifications,” Ms Bott said.

“I accept (the man’s) evidence, and in combination with advertising evidence, it is very compelling.

“(On the balance of probabilities) a brothel is being carried out at that premises.”

Express Massage 2 at 252 Jasper Rd has been declared a proscribed brothel for the next three months, meaning anyone entering the premises for sexual services is liable to be prosecuted.