14 December 2010

Watcharaporn Nantahkhum pleads not guilty

14 December 2010 | By johnboy

The ABC has the giddy news that the 43 year old Kambah woman Watcharaporn Nantahkhum has plead (through an interpreter) not guilty to “possessing a slave, allowing non-citizens to work illegally in Australia and be exploited, and perverting the course of justice”.

A four week trial is now planned in March.

So it allegedly can happen here.

UPDATE: Thanks to skidbladnir for the tip, the University of Queensland’s Human Trafficking Working Group has a file on this case.

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karmacarrier5:50 pm 14 Dec 10

Watcharaporn?

SERIOUSLY?

Interpretation: Watched porn – not involved.

fgzk5:17 pm 14 Dec 10

Watcharaporn?

SERIOUSLY?

and her accomplice ” Bob Dick “

andym5:12 pm 14 Dec 10

Watcharaporn?

SERIOUSLY?

+1
I thought it was a joke name too, especially with the last name. Bet the bailiff cant keep a straight face when he reads that out in court.

cmdwedge3:56 pm 14 Dec 10

Watcharaporn?

SERIOUSLY?

Skidbladnir3:13 pm 14 Dec 10

Skidbladnir said :

Maximum penalty: 100 penalty units ($110,000), imprisonment for 1 year or both.

$11,000 rather…

Skidbladnir2:49 pm 14 Dec 10

From the Working Group, the charges and cross-checking the related acts for penalties:

1: Possessing a slave, s 270.3(1)(a) Criminal Code (Cth)
Imprisonment for 25 years.

2: Debt Bondage, s 271.8(1) Criminal Code (Cth)
Imprisonment for 12 months.

3: Attempting to pervert the course of justice, s 43 Crimes Act 1914 (Cth)
Imprisonment for 5 years.

4 & 5: Allowing a non-citizen to work in breach of a visa condition (2 counts), s 245AC Migration Act 1958 (Cth)
in the case of an aggravated offence–imprisonment for 5 years;
in any other case–imprisonment for 2 years.

6: Allowing an unlawful non-citizen to work, s 245AB Migration Act 1958 (Cth)
in the case of an aggravated offence–imprisonment for 5 years;
in any other case–imprisonment for 2 years.
(In both instances, an aggravated offence occurs if the worker is being exploited and the person knows of, or is reckless as to, that circumstance.)

7: Operating a brothel other than in a prescribed location, s 18 Prostitution Act 1992 (ACT)
Maximum penalty: 100 penalty units ($110,000), imprisonment for 1 year or both.

She’s plead not-guilty to all seven.