A CONSULTANT who advised the Government on a major transport project will face trial on charges of operating and living off the profits of brothels in Limerick.
Thomas Lyons (54), with an address at The Warrens, Malahide, Dublin, faces seven charges under the Criminal Law Sexual Offences Act as well as one count of making a false statement to gardai alleging a burglary at an address he was in charge of in Limerick.
Lyons was a senior consultant with Atkins Ireland, a transport group involved in advising Fingal County Council and designing support services for Metro West light rail project in Dublin.
His co-accused, 43-year-old, Zelandia Silva, a Brazilian woman with an address at The Matthews, O’Callaghan Strand, Limerick faces seven charges under the same legislation and both were served with books of evidence this Wednesday at Limerick District Court.
The prosecution claims that both were running brothels, while living off the profits of prostitution at a number of apartments in Limerick.
They are both charged with three counts of living off the earnings of prostitution from the apartments they owned or rented at Riverpoint, Bishops Quay, Bridgewater House, Harvey’s Quay in Limerick City, and at Grove Island Road, Corbally and a further three counts of operating brothels at apartments in Limerick City between August 2010 and June 2011.
They are also each charged with one count of organising prostitution at O’Connell Street, Limerick City, on February 2, 2011.
Separately, Mr Lyons faces a charge of making a false statement to gardai alleging a burglary at an apartment in Riverpoint where a brothel was in operation.
The court heard that an application for legal aid was “understandable given the serious nature of the charges” according to Judge Eugene O’Kelly.
Detective Garda Vincent Brick previously said that the State would be objecting to legal aid being granted and that “the accused was subject to a two and half year surveillance investigation and had assets outside the country.”
However, according to Judge O’Kelly, the position of granting legal aid was now “a matter for the circuit court”.
Both defendants were remanded on continuing bail to the next sittings of the Limerick Circuit Criminal Court. They are to sign on twice weekly at their local garda stations, surrender their passports and notify gardai of any changes to their addresses.
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