A Christchurch woman who misled immigration authorities to bring a migrant worker into New Zealand, then arranged for her to provide sexual services to repay a fabricated debt, has been sentenced to four months’ home detention, Stuff reported.
Ava Young pleaded guilty to immigration-related charges and admitted to sponsoring a Thai woman under false pretences in early 2023. According to sentencing notes, Young falsely claimed the woman was her sister and stated the visit’s purpose was to see friends and family in New Zealand.
Young charged the woman approximately $7710 for the job and visa. The woman paid about $2570 at the time of the visa application, with the remainder considered a debt she was expected to repay.
After the woman’s visitor visa was approved for a six-month stay, Young picked her up from the airport on March 20 and took her to an Auckland address where she was told she would be living and working. The woman’s photo was taken and advertised online, and later that same day, Young messaged her with details of an appointment — including the time, cost, duration, and confirmation that the booking was for sex, Stuff reported.
Over the following months, the woman provided massage and sexual services under Young’s direction at various addresses. Payments were made either in cash or directly into Young’s bank account. Young took 35% of the woman’s earnings and deducted rent and other expenses from her income, while keeping a record of the outstanding debt.
The woman continued working until around June 26, 2024, when Young confirmed her debt was cleared.
Following a complaint about the woman breaching visa conditions and being forced into sex work, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) launched an investigation. A ministry spokesperson said six search warrants were executed and Young was arrested.
The investigation found Young and the woman were not related and had met for the first time when the woman arrived at the airport in New Zealand.
Young was sentenced on June 27 after pleading guilty to one charge of providing false or misleading information to an immigration officer and one charge of aiding and abetting a breach of visa conditions.
At sentencing, Judge Paul Kellar acknowledged a tragic backdrop to the offending. He noted that Young had claimed to be under financial strain due to her daughter’s stage 3 cancer diagnosis and had hoped to afford a $15,000-a-month drug. He expressed condolences, stating that Young’s daughter had subsequently died.
However, Judge Kellar said Young’s actions had seriously undermined the immigration system and involved the exploitation of a vulnerable migrant, Stuff reported.
He noted that the offending took advantage of vulnerable migrants who were in a precarious position, often believing their ability to remain in New Zealand was contingent on obeying the person who arranged their entry into the country.
Judge Kellar identified two aggravating factors: the premeditated nature of the offending and the vulnerability of the Thai woman, who had never left Thailand before. He said Young exercised a significant amount of control over the woman, including where she lived and worked. He stated that arrangements had been made for the woman to carry out sex work and that she had not felt able to leave until she had repaid her supposed debt.
When approached at her Christchurch home, Young declined to comment, stating the events were in the past and that she did not want to bring them up again.
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