Why the Australian slaver who enslaved two Thai women by forcing them to work 12 hours a day in brothels? PROVEN in court
The woman who coerced Thai women into slavery sobbed in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.
To satisfy debts, the two ladies were forced to work for 12 days at several brothels.
She is requesting that her conviction be overturned or that her sentence be reduced.
Lawyers for Rungnapha Kanbut provided character references not used in court. They also contended that Kanbut had an autistic relative she needed to care for.
A woman who forced two Thai women into sex slavery wept in court on Wednesday as her attorneys highlighted her ‘excellent character’ during an appeal to overturn her sentence.
Rungnapha Kanbut wept when the judge informed her that a crippled relative had endured tremendous hardship without her.
In 2019, Kanbut was sentenced to eight years in jail for knowingly possessing a slave, exercising ownership rights over a slave, and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Rungnapha Kanbut was found guilty of forcibly enslaving two Thai women by seizing their passports and burdening them with debt. Photograph: AAP/Jeremy Piper
She appeared via videolink in the NSW Supreme Court and utilized a translator to request that her conviction be overturned or, failing that, that her sentence be reduced.
The roughly 60-year-old was found to have subjected two ladies to terrible maltreatment and prison-like conditions after their 2004-2005 migration from Thailand to Australia.
During the initial trial, the jury was informed that upon the women’s arrival in Sydney, Kanbut confiscated their passports and informed them that they owed each $45,000.
The women were frequently compelled to work up to 12 hours per day at various brothels, with nearly all of their profits going to pay off their ‘debts’
Rungnapha Kanbut (right) exits the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney in 2019 after being found guilty of willfully possessing a slave, exercising ownership powers over a slave, and dealing in the proceeds of crime.
During the trial, the court heard that naked photographs of the ladies were obtained and used to exert more control by threatening to post them on the internet.
David Barrow, Ms. Kanbut’s attorney, told a panel of judges that a cousin was diagnosed with autism just before she entered prison and had endured bullying and isolation.
He informed the court that the relative remained “completely dependent” on her.
Mr. Barrow stated, “This person is a susceptible one.”
A photograph of a generic escort in Sydney. brothel prostitute sexual employee
Mr. Barrow further informed the court that character testimony was absent from the trial, which, if included, could have influenced the jury’s verdict.
According to Ms. Kanbut’s attorney, a number of people who knew Ms. Kanbut at the time of the alleged offenses expressed “horror” in their statements.
According to one of the witnesses, she was a kind and generous woman.
Mr. Barrow stated, “Had this information been available, it would have portrayed a very different picture of the accused.”
Kanbut leaves court during her 2019 trial, during which her attorneys argued that character references were not considered.
At sentencing, Judge Nanette Williams stated that Ms. Kanbut was ‘not without compassion’ for the women, but had effectively held them in an open-air prison.
She stated at the time, “Those who chose to engage in slavery enjoy considerable financial benefits at the expense of those enslaved.”
One of Ms. Kanbut’s victims reported being spit upon and beaten by some of her customers, but was instructed to “put up with it until the time was over and kick the customer out.”
The second victim of Ms. Kanbut described being compelled to serve up to ten clients every day.
She said, “I will bear the scars of these experiences for the rest of my life.”