Difficult financial circumstances led to a married mother of five luring a drunken male down an alleyway and soliciting herself for prostitution, the Galway District Court heard this week.
Sperenta Muntean (33 ) with an address at 106 Meadowbrook, Athlone, Co Westmeath, appeared before Judge Mary Fahy on Monday and pleaded guilty to soliciting for the purposes of prostitution at Lower Abbeygate Street, Galway, on March 5, 2010.
Inspector Mick Coppinger told the court that at 11.45pm Garda Derek Mullin was on patrol when his attention was drawn to a drunken male who had been taken down an alleyway in Abbeygate Street by a woman. The inspector added that the two were “engaging in an act” for which the drunken male had “paid over money”.
Defence solicitor Adrian MacLynn said that it was “quite obvious she [the defendant] took advantage of a situation for financial gain”. He said that the Romanian national, who is married and is the mother of five children, had been experiencing difficult financial circumstances at the time.
Inspector Coppinger then informed the court that the defendant has no previous convictions and that the maximum fine for this type of offence was €317.
Judge Fahy noted that bail money already lodged could be used to pay the fine. She then convicted Muntean and fined her €200 payable forthwith from bails money lodged.
