Three foreign nationals have been handed a suspended sentence and fined after admitting to running a brothel from an apartment in Marsascala.

The accused were caught at Triq is-Sikka after police saw them peering over the roof with clients.

The three accused appeared in court on Thursday. They were identified as 41-year-old William Paulino Palomino Miranda, 25-year-old Laura Vanessa Valenica Vargas, and 49-year-old Regina Santana De Jesus. All three listed no fixed address in Malta.

The prosecuting inspector explained to the court that the investigation was triggered by a report from the landlord of an apartment in Marsascala. He had been renting out the apartment to Santana De Jesus, who was in turn renting it out to the other two accused knowing that they were using the space as a brothel.

When police officers arrived on site to investigate the premises, they observed the individuals peeking over the roof alongside clients.

Upon entering the apartment, officers discovered rooms actively set up for prostitution and a significant number of sexual paraphernalia. Further digital investigations by the police uncovered various online advertisements explicitly promoting sex work services at the property.

All three individuals were charged with managing, running, or sharing in the profits of a brothel or a place used for prostitution.

Santana De Jesus faced additional charges for knowingly permitting the private apartment to be used for prostitution and for living off the earnings of sex work.

The trio registered an early guilty plea to all charges brought against them. The defence urged the court to consider that his clients had fully cooperated with the police from the moment of their arrest.

The magistrate sentenced all three individuals to an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. In addition, they were ordered to pay a €100 fine each and will be repatriated back to their respective home countries.

Magistrate Monica Vella presided over the case. 

The prosecution was led by inspector Marshall Mallia. 

Lawyer Victor Bugeja appeared for the accused.