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silver Star is still open but the Sunny Spa may not be for very long
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July 25, 2007Text: Normal - Larger | PrintOne missing, the other in need of translator
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Massage parlour court case begins
by Adam Huras
For The Independent
The owner of Sunny Health Spa charged under the Criminal Code for keeping a common bawdy house by Quinte West OPP is scheduled to return to court in two weeks after she was unable to understand the English-speaking judge in her first appearance.
Zhu Zhen Lai first appeared in criminal court July 19 in Belleville and will now return Aug. 2 when a Chinese Mandarin translator will be at her side.
The accused was charged under Section 210 of the Criminal Code and faces up to two years in jail if convicted after Quinte West OPP launched an investigation into Sunny Health Spa that was a result of an undercover inquiry by The Independent.
Also charged was Chen Mei Deng who was summoned to appear in court July 19, as well, but did not make an appearance.
Isaac Berman, identifying himself as the landlord of Sunny Health Spa, accompanied Ms. Zhu to court and acted as her translator. He also spoke to the whereabouts of Ms. Chen.
Mr. Berman told the court that after the release of the initial newspaper article by The Independent but before charges were laid by OPP, Ms. Chen quit her job at Sunny Health Spa due to sickness and is now in a Toronto hospital with cancer.
Asked by the judge for knowledge of which hospital, a phone number or any other information, Mr. Berman consulted with Ms. Zhu and then stated he had no further knowledge.
He did add that when Quinte West served a subpoena to Ms. Zhu at Sunny Health Spa in Trenton, it also served the business with Ms. Chen’s. The subpoena was then returned to OPP because she no longer worked there.
The court is now giving police time to find Ms. Chen and serve her with the charge of being an inmate in a common bawdy house. She will be ordered to appear in court Aug. 23.
An undercover investigation by The Independent, published June 20, revealed that Sunny Health Spa was doubling as a sex shop.