Indonesian National Jailed in Australia for Trafficking Teenager into Sex Work

An Indonesian man who trafficked a 17-year-old girl from Indonesia to Australia to work as a sex worker will serve a prison sentence of up to six years and five months. The decision was handed down by a Sydney judge, who stated the man showed no genuine remorse. Surya Subekti, 45, was sentenced on Friday at the New South Wales District Court to a non-parole period of four years and five months. His earliest possible release date is November 2030. Surya pleaded guilty to two charges, including arranging for a person under 18 to enter Australia to provide sexual services and engaging a minor in forced labour. The maximum penalties for the two charges are 25 years and 12 years imprisonment, respectively. His lawyer argued the victim travelled to Australia voluntarily, was aware of contractual obligations, and had reached the age of majority. The victim was instructed to lie about her age. Judge Nicole Noman noted the victim was a child under Australian law, where the age of consent for sex work is 18. Her ability to fulfil contractual obligations and consent to the sale of sexual services was therefore not considered valid consent. Surya knew the victim was 17 and instructed her to conceal her age. He was found to have played a key role in trafficking the teenager, assisting with the contract, visa, transport, and designating the brothel where she worked for approximately two months. ‘The victim was entirely dependent on the arrangements made for her,’ Judge Noman said, noting the teenager would be isolated in a foreign country without support. According to agreed facts, Surya was informed about the victim by his associates in Indonesia and knew her visa was based on material containing false information, including that she was the child of an unrelated adult woman. The victim arrived in Australia in January 2021 and was forced to work in a Sydney brothel while Surya assumed or facilitated full financial control over her earnings. Surya also controlled when and where the victim was moved and participated in creating contracts that required her to work up to 12 hours a day. Co-accused Elton Valentino pleaded guilty to one count of facilitating the transportation of a person under 18 to provide sexual services, which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years. He told police that Surya instructed him not to reveal Surya’s real name to the women he transported, instead referring to him as ‘Batman’. Valentino, 32, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison with a non-parole period of one year and ten months for transporting the victim to work. The court heard that Surya told a psychologist he was reluctant to engage in human trafficking but was pressured by the victim, a claim the judge dismissed as inconsistent with the agreed facts. ‘I do not accept this as genuine remorse for his actions,’ the judge said. The court heard Surya, a father of three, received support from his family, who were unaware of his gambling problem. The judge stated his prospects for rehabilitation were uncertain and his offending was not impulsive but well-planned. The court heard Valentino viewed Surya as a father figure and was told by him that all women in the brothel were over 18. He was not involved in bringing the victim to Australia. The judge found Valentino, who has been in custody since October 2024, had good prospects for rehabilitation and had shown genuine remorse. Taking time served into account, Valentino may be released as early as August this year, after which he will serve a five-year community corrections order.