By Luke Voogt
Geelong police busted an illegal brothel in Highton on Monday night, issuing four fines for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
Police attended the Barrabool Road unit about 8.15pm following a tip-off and observed a “high level of foot traffic entering and exiting”.
After speaking to people attending the unit, police determined it was being used as an illegal brothel.
The “tiny” unit was rented as an Airbnb, according to Acting Sergeant Shaun Johnson, who attended the scene.
Often the men attending these types of illegal brothels were married and stopping in on the way home from work, he said.
“When you speak to these people, it’s like they’re getting a loaf of bread.
“They’re just dropping in for 15 minutes to do what they need to do and then they’re going home to their families – it’s quite bizarre.
“There are no proper health controls in place. These houses are disgusting.
“The people that are attending are then going home and exposing their family to all sorts of germs and diseases.”
Sergeant Johnson was also one of the officers who shut down an illegal brothel operating in Findlay Grove, Belmont, in April.
Police fined that illegal brothel $9913 and issued an escort with an additional fine, Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton told a press conference at the time.
While different “escorts” were operating out of the illegal Highton brothel, police were still “making enquires as to if they were managed by the same crew” as the Belmont brothel, Sergeant Johnson said.
“The escorts that we’re dealing with are more-than-often on work or study visas and they’re not being tested, as registered sex workers would be.
“You don’t know who you’re walking into.”
The discovery came as the Department of Health and Human Services recorded another 17 new COVID-19 cases across Victoria on Monday.
“It’s alarming that people are still attending these places while we’re in this pandemic, especially given the recent increase in cases in Melbourne,” Sergeant Johnson said.
Police issued four $1652 fines to people attending the Highton unit for breaching the Victorian Chief Health Officer’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Victoria Police warned they would continue to issue fines for “deliberate, blatant and obvious breaches” of the directions.
