Japanese Massage and Spa Kirei madam Mizuho Ino pleads guilty to running Ascot Vale brothel

A Japanese brothel madam told her illegal Ascot Vale sex den staff they could make more money for “extra services”.

A Japanese brothel madam operated an illegal sex den under the guise of a legitimate Ascot Vale massage parlour.

Mizuho Ino, 53, was convicted and fined $5000 after she pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to recklessly carry on business as a sex work provider without holding a licence.

Ino was busted after police received a tip-off the madam was running an unlicensed brothel at her Maribyrnong Rd business Japanese Massage and Spa Kirei.

The whistleblower told police Ino interviewed her for a massage job, the court was told.

Ino told the whistleblower she would have to offer “extra services” for the remaining 15 minutes of a massage or a customer would be sent “another girl”.

The court heard the woman, who provided sexual services on two occasions, was told she could make “extra money” for these extra services.

Sex industry cops raided Ino’s dodgy parlour on December 4, 2019.

Police obtained a statement from a massage employee present during the raid who identified Ino as the owner and manager of the business, the court was told.

The employee told police Ino discussed during an interview the possibility of providing sexual services.

The employee also told police she had provided sexual services to six customers in a two-week period.

The former location of an illegal brothel operating under the guise of Japanese Massage and Spa Kirei at 109 Maribyrnong Rd Ascot Vale. Google Maps.

Sex Industry Coordination Unit police successfully applied to have Japanese Massage and Spa Kirei declared a proscribed brothel on December 19, 2019.

Investigators arrested Ino and hauled her in for questioning in February last year.

Police played recorded phone conversations between Ino and a witness.

Ino, who was done running the brothel between October and December, was recorded telling the witness “if she doesn’t do extras she cannot make money”.

The defence submitted Ino encouraged the girls to provide the extra services only if clients asked.

“The arrangement seemed to be the girls would pocket this extra money themselves for these extra services rather than (Ino),” the defence submitted.

The court heard Ino is a Japanese national but has permanent residency after arriving in Australia 14 years ago.

Ino no longer works in massage industry and has no plans to return, the court was told.

The defence submitted a conviction could derail Ino’s plan to obtain employment within hospital administration.

However, Magistrate Duncan Reynolds said the offending was too serious to avoid a conviction.

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