Thai prostitute 'was kept as slave, spat on and blackmailed by woman who threatened to leak naked photos of her if she tried to leave'
- Woman moved to Sydney to become a sex worker, living with Rungnapha Kanbut
- Thai woman was spat on, bruised and left bleeding by clients, a jury was told
- Kanbut allegedly said explicit photos of her would be leaked if she tried to leave
A Thai sex worker who was spat on, bruised and left bleeding by clients was under the 'control' of a Sydney woman accused of keeping her as a slave, a jury has heard.
The woman was one of two Thai women who voluntarily came to Sydney to do sex work and lived with Rungnapha 'Lisa' Kanbut at her Sydney home at separate times in 2004 and 2005.
Both alleged victims have told a NSW District Court jury Kanbut took their passports which weren't returned until they'd paid off a debt of $45,000 each.
The woman was one of two Thai women who voluntarily came to Sydney to do sex work and lived with Rungnapha 'Lisa' Kanbut (pictured outside court in April) at her Sydney home at separate times in 2004 and 2005
Kanbut, 57, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of intentionally possessing a slave, two counts of exercising powers of ownership over a slave and two counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime.
In his closing submissions on Thursday, crown prosecutor Peter Neil SC said the first sex worker - who couldn't speak English, wasn't familiar with Sydney and had little money of her own - was told by Kanbut she had nowhere else to go.
'She said (Kanbut) said to her 'Don't think about running away because there's nowhere for you to run',' he said.
Share this article
Mr Neil said the woman was also told a man in Thailand had naked photos of her which, if released, would have brought great shame upon her.
'Just because you accept your fate because there is no alternative doesn't mean you consent to it,' the barrister said.
'(Consent) has got to be free, voluntary and with a full understanding of what you are consenting to, without this underlying fear of being shamed.'
Kanbut (right), 57, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of intentionally possessing a slave, two counts of exercising powers of ownership over a slave and two counts of dealing with the proceeds of crime
The second sex worker came to Sydney in 2005 and previously gave evidence that she was also taken to Kanbut's home, told she owed a debt and driven to and from work at various brothels in the city until it was paid off.
Mr Neil said these circumstances showed Kanbut 'exercised complete control' over the women.
The prosecution on Thursday drew a firm distinction between the consent the women had given to come to Sydney for sex work and the reality of the situation they found themselves in.
'No one forced them onto the plane or anything like that,' Mr Neil said.
'All that matters is what happened here. They did not know what they were getting themselves into.'
The defence is expected to give its closing submission on Monday.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
