Bali Police have taken into custody an Australian couple accused of operating illicit sex shops in Bali. The married couple, identified by the local press in Bali as Michael Jerome Le Grand (46) and Lynley Jane Le Grand (40), are now awaiting formal indictment for masterminding prostitution rings fronting as spas, health and wellness operations.
No strangers to Bali law enforcement, the couple was previously questioned by Police in July 2022 for running a suspected off-track horse racing betting shop at The Goat Pub of Seminyak on Jalan Raya Kaya A, No. 176 in Kuta, Bali.
A police official said: “We have already taken into custody the owner of the prostitution front operating as the ‘Pink Palace Sensual Spa and Relaxation Center, Happy Coq,’’ and ‘Happy Life.’ The owners are a husband and wife team from Australia.”
Police confirm that their official investigation and the evidence in hand are now sufficient, that they are now officially classified as suspects, and are ready for formal charges to be filed by State Prosecutors.
Police say the couple submitted themselves to arrest without offering any resistance to Police. At the time of their arrest, Monday, 07 October 2024, at 2:00 pm, the Le Grand couple were relaxing at The Corner House, a restaurant they reportedly own in Seminyak.
During their investigations, Police discovered the couple held Indonesian Identity Cards (KTPs) in the identities of Michael Jerome Le Grand and Lynley Jane Le Grand. Under Indonesian law, KTPs can only be issued to Indonesian citizens.
Bali police told the ABC that in the raid conducted at the Pink Palace, evidence was seized in the form of lingerie, condoms, and massage oil.
Widely reported in local media, the Pink Palace Spa is alleged to have offered treatments that include illicit sexual services catering to both heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual predilections.
When Police raided the Pink Spa, two branded operational vehicles were seized, and four employees were taken into custody.
Police say the Pink Palace records an annual income of between $95,000 and $285,00.
I Ketut Suarnaya of the Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Bali Police said:” “The modus operandi is to offer massage services with various sensations in the Pink Palace, starting from Rp 1 million to 2.5 million rupiah.”
The Bali Police have linked the couple to the ownership and operations of the Pink Palace Sensual Spa and Relaxation Center, The Goat Seminyak, The Goat Legian, The Corner House Restaurant in Seminyak, Happy Coq Seminyak, and Happy Life Seminyak.
The case has been reported in both the local press in Bali and internationally by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The ABC also says the couple are long-term Bali residents and lists Kynley as “a survivor” of the 2002 Bali bombing.
One of the Spa’s employees is said to be a 17-year-old girl, which also provides the legal foundation to prosecute the couple under Indonesia’s child protection laws. Depending on the charges finally filed against the couple by State Prosecutors, the Australian could be facing prison terms of between 6 months and 12 years.
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