Two massage parlour owners were sentenced yesterday to serve seven years in prison each for facilitating prostitution at their Phnom Penh establishment. Ly Sok Leng, presiding judge at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said Yong Thuon, 36, and her husband Ty Bros, 43, were charged with “procurement with aggravating circumstances” by the court.

It emerged in court that police had been alerted to the illegal services after an undercover police officer paid for sex with one of the massage workers, leading to a raid on June 29.

“They operated a massage and steam service, but they also provided sexual services and prostitution,” said Ly Sreng, an official with the National Police’s Anti-Human Trafficking Department.

Police said they detained six women and two underage girls in the raid. They also confiscated a number of used condoms from the parlour as evidence.