38 adverts linked to escort services on a phone seized from man charged with controlling prostitution, Craigavon court hears

Christian Vasile, aged 24, with an address at Dunvegan Street, Belfast, appeared before Craigavon Magistrates Court via video link from Maghaberry Prison.

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He is charged with controlling the activities of a woman relating to her prostitution on December 28 last year. He was also charged with having no insurance on the same date at Shaftesbury Square in Belfast.

A PSNI officer told the court that police were examining a mobile phone but only have looked at a week of information due to it being in Romanian.

"We have located 38 adverts on VivaStreet and emails linked to the phone that was seized. From that we have then got financial information from VivaStreet in relation to a lot of credit cards that have been used,” the officer said.

"We are going to get a Romanian speaking officer to review the triage so far and then we can determine what we can send through for formal translation,” he said.

He explained there were two emails linked to the phone and number which were used to create escort adverts on VivaStreet.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan asked if VivaStreet is a site linked to escort services.

"Yes, we have actually gone on and used the IDs which were created and can verify they are escort adverts," he said.

The defendant’s barrister, Ms Kelly Doherty, asked if VivaStreet is the name of the site which hosts escorts.

The PSNI officer replied that it hosts escort ads but does other sales including cars, furniture etc. “There’s a large escort section on it,” he said.

Ms Doherty asked if any of the adverts were ‘in respect of the passenger of the car’. The officer replied: “We believe one of them is, yes.”

He explained that the pictures were not correct but the phone number was hers. He added the adverts had been uploaded via the defendant’s phone.

"The adverts are like pictures and texts and what services are offered,” said the officer.

Ms Doherty asked if the adverts were lawful. He said they were. “The issue is that he appears to be controlling it.”

The officer added that an address in Leicester was checked by police as a potential bail address but the person hadn’t heard of the defendant.

Ms Doherty said that her instructing solicitor spoke to the defendant’s aunt this morning and suggested there maybe some ‘breakdown in communication’ in terms of who the police were supposed to speak to.

Asking for an adjournment, she said she would have to take instructions from the defendant in relation to matters that the police had outlined in court.

District Judge Ranaghan said he could bring it back to video link on January 9, adding: “I do appreciate Mr Vasiles is a foreign national and may not have understood all of this.”

Thanking the judge, Ms Doherty said it would take time to sort out the issues over her client’s proposed bail address.

He adjourned the case until January 9.