Two women were spared an effective jail term on Wednesday after admitting to running a brothel in an apartment in Xlendi, Gozo.   

Alicia Cortes Gomez, a 25-year old Spaniard and Ely Yezmin Pilares Seminario, a 32-year old Peruvian, were accused of having worked as prostitutes and operated a brothel. Seminario also admitted stealing from and assaulting Gomez.

The court was told that a police search of the Xlendi flat had revealed cash and “a large quantity of contraceptives”.

When making submissions on punishment, defence lawyer, Matthew Xuereb, argued that although the accused had been offering their services against payment, they were considered as vulnerable victims.

The law itself did not intend to inflict an effective prison term in such circumstances.

Moreover, both accused had only been in Gozo for a couple of weeks and their stay was almost up.

Magistrate Simone Grech declared both women guilty and fined each of them €200.

Gomez was handed a one year jail term suspended for 2 years, whereas Seminario was handed a one-year two-months jail term also suspended for 2 years.

Inspectors Kylie Borg and Josef Gauci prosecuted.