Magistrate finds no immoral behaviour at lap dancers’ bar

Two owners of a Paceville bar, where lap dancers were performing, have been acquitted of running a brothel and allowing immoral acts to take place after a magistrate ruled there was no evidence to prove the charges.

Duncan Fenech, 36, and Daniel Schembri, 41, were, however, found guilty of employing the lap dancers without the necessary licence at the bar, AO Platinum, five years ago. Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona heard that the police found lap dancing being performed in the club by women of different nationalities, including a Maltese.

The owners were charged with permitting their club to be used for prostitution, operating a brothel, and, as operators of a tourist service, allowing their club to be used for immoral purposes.

The magistrate said there was no evidence to prove the club had been used for prostitution or other immoral acts. Furthermore, it had to be proven that the immoral acts were lewd, he added.

The magistrate said the prosecution had also asked for their licence to be suspended. However, the person to whom the licence belonged did not feature in the proceedings and was not mentioned anywhere, so the request was turned down.

The men were fined €2,500 each.

Lawyers Joseph Giglio and Edward Gatt appeared for the men.