Joy Imasogie It has been revealed that a Nigerian woman, who was allegedly trafficked into Ireland and forced into prostitution, wa...
Joy Imasogie
It has been revealed that a Nigerian woman, who was allegedly trafficked into Ireland and forced into prostitution, was having s*x with up to 10 men a day for no payment.
The revelation was made when the woman opened during a court hearing.
According to The Independent, the woman has told a jury she underwent a “voodoo process” in her home country before coming to Ireland, during which she swore she would not report the alleged trafficker, Joy Imasogie (40).
The woman also alleged that while she was working as a prostitute, Ms Imasogie’s husband, Kingsley, began “taking advantage” of her and having s*x with her.
Ms Imasogie, of Chapelwood Crescent, Hollystown, Dublin 15, has pleaded not guilty to organising for the woman to enter the country illegally, to compelling or coercing her to be a prostitute and to controlling or directing the activities of prostitution for gain on dates between March 2006 and April 2008.
On her second day of evidence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, the alleged victim said she lived in a flat in Phibsboro where she was visited by up to 10 men a day.
She told Kerida Naidoo, prosecuting, that Ms Imasogie and another woman made the arrangements and that she would receive a phone call when a man was on the way.
She said the prostitution service was advertised on a website run by a woman in England.
Ms Imasogie allegedly told her the price was €150 for half-an-hour and €250 for an hour. The complainant said the accused told her men might want anal sex as an “additional service”, but she refused to do this.
She said that she might receive €2,000 a day from the men. Of that, Ms Imasogie would allegedly take half for arranging the men to come and half to pay off a €50,000 “debt” she said the woman owed her for bringing her to Ireland.
The alleged victim said she was left with no money at the end of the day and that she received no allowance. She said she had to demand money from the accused for personal items and that Ms Imasogie would sometimes bring her food.
The woman said Ms Imasogie gave her a false passport to show to gardai if they called at the door. One day gardai called but did not believe the passport was genuine. The alleged victim said she went upstairs and jumped out of the window to escape, breaking her leg.
She said she was in a cast for two months and during that time she was told by the accused to “answer the phones and direct people”.
She returned to prostitution after the leg healed, she said. Sometimes the work involved travelling for “overnight” visits. She said the accused or her husband would drive her there.
She alleged that after she had been in Ireland for about a year, the husband started to take advantage of her.
The woman said that after some time she thought she had worked off about €40,000 of the €50,000 debt. When she asked Ms Imasogie about this, the accused replied that she had lost the book she used to keep track of this and that she believed the woman had paid off only €15,000 or €20,000.
The alleged victim said that in 2008 she left and refused to return. She said she did not want to be a prostitute any more and refused to have any further contact with the accused.
The trial continues before Judge Patricia Ryan and a jury.
