A 26-year-old man who ran a network of brothels in Dublin earning hundreds of thousands of euro was sentenced to two and a half years in prison today.
Mark McCormick, from Ballybeg Park in Newcastle in Co Down, was, in the words of the judge, at the top of the ladder in a highly sophisticated organised prostitution ring.
The judge suspended the last 14 months of the sentence, which means McCormick will spend at least a year in jail.
Gardaí today welcomed the sentence and said they hoped it would now close down this highly lucrative brothel and prostitution advertising network.
The director of the organisation Ruhama, which helps women in prostitution, said more garda resources and tougher legislation were needed to tackle this worsening problem.
