Heidelberg Angel: Brothel workers charged over alleged 16yo dominatrix

A man has faced court accused of managing a 16-year-old allegedly hired as a “dominatrix” at a Melbourne brothel.

Wenjun Zhu appeared briefly in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, facing six charges including causing a child to take part in an act of sex work, receiving payment for sexual services performed by a child, and entering an agreement by which a child is to perform sexual services to another person in return for payment.

He is also charged with failing to properly supervise a brothel, allowing a child to be on the premises of a brothel, and allowing a child to perform sex work at a brothel.

The 33-year-old, from Docklands, was a manager at Heidelberg Angels in Melbourne’s east while the 16-year-old was working there, police allege.

Police allege the child victim, who cannot be named, responded to an ad for an “assistant dominatrix” at Heidelberg Angels.

She was allegedly a sex worker at the brothel from August 28, 2019, despite her age.

Mr Zhu held a sex work providers license but “made no attempt to check her ID”, police documents tendered to the court allege.

Police say that video footage shows the child with a “male customer” who is wearing hi-vis in a hallway of the brothel about 8.40pm on August 28, 2019, before she moves off-camera.

About 40 minutes later the “customer” and the girl reappear together before the footage shows the male leaving the brothel and the 16-year-old carrying a towel into the laundry room, police say.

Police raided Heidelberg Angels on September 19 and seized a hard drive and a security monitor.

Mr Zhu told them he had worked there for 12 months, was still in training, and was paid $22.50 an hour, police said.

He said he could not remember the young girl, the court was told.

Two other alleged brothel workers, Cheng Li and Ying Yang — also called Jing Yang — were also charged with causing a child to take part in sex work, obtaining payment for sexual services by a child, agreement for provision of sexual services by a child, and allowing a child to take part in sex work over the employment of the same alleged child sex worker.

Charges against a fourth man, Xiang Zhang, have been struck out.

Mr Zhu will next appear in court on April 1.

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