Claim ex Essendon star Ricky Olarenshaw tried to take child after wife’s Bali brothel arrest
The estranged wife of former Essendon star Ricky Olarenshaw claims one of his relatives was sent to Bali to take their child, after she was arrested for allegedly running a brothel.
Victoria
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Ricky Olarenshaw has been accused of trying to take his nine-year-old daughter to Australia after his estranged wife was arrested in Bali for allegedly running a brothel, that she claims he owned.
A distraught Sarnanitha Olarenshaw spoke out via her lawyer in Bali on Tuesday, saying the former Essendon star had sent a relative to the Indonesian paradise to pick up their child.
But Ms Olarenshaw’s parents refused to meet up with her husband’s relative because they feared they wanted to take the young girl to Australia.
“Nitha has been exploited. Now he has been victimised. It’s enough. Don’t take her daughter to Australia,” her lawyer Donny Tri Istiqomah said outside the Denpasar Police Station.
Ms Olarenshaw, known as Nitha, has told their daughter to stay away from her prison cell because she fears it would be too distressing for the couple’s nine-year-old.
She has claimed that she did not own the Flame Spa, with 80 per cent of the profits going to Mr Olarenshaw and his friends.
Indonesian police allege sexual services were offered at the venue in breach of the strict laws in the Muslim majority country.
The former Essendon star left Bali before his estranged wife was arrested.
“I came here to visit Nitha because she’s now a prisoner, Nitha said to me she still fights because she still believes she is the victim of exploitation from her husband,” Mr Tri Istiqomah said.
“Nitha still feels a victim of this case because the prostitution in this case, the Flame does not belong to Nitha. Flame Spa belonged to Ricky and friends. Nitha was just employed there. That’s why Nitha still feels like a victim.”
“Now Nitha hopes that she just wants to live in peace, she doesn’t want to live with her husband and his friends, she just wants to live with her daughter,” he said.
When asked if the couple’s daughter had visited her mother, Mr Tri Istiqomah said: “No, it will make Nitha depressed.”
Ms Olarenshaw’s case has been scheduled for court in Bali on October 28, where she was facing up to 12 years’ jail if convicted.
Bali laws discourage foreigners from owning property and businesses on the holiday island.
However, Ms Olarenshaw, as a local, was able to own property and she claimed that was why she was on the company documents.
Her arrest came at the same time as a former Melbourne couple, Michael and Lynley Le Grand, were taken into custody over allegations they ran a separate brothel called the Pink Palace Spa.
Mr Le Grand, 50, had complained of stomach pains and there were fears he had pancreatic cancer.
He had applied to be taken to hospital for treatment.
The couple owned a $3.6m property in Sandringham, which they sold before moving to Bali and investing the profits in bars and restaurants.
Originally published as Claim ex Essendon star Ricky Olarenshaw tried to take child after wife’s Bali brothel arrest
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