Gardaí brought 34 prosecutions for the offence under Section 11 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 1993 last year, while another 16 prosecutions were commenced since the start of 2025.

Stelian Ciuciu (32) posed as part of a couple with another woman who was working as an escort to rent properties from unsuspecting landlords, which he then advertised to escorts for their use, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard on Tuesday.

Ilamar Rodrigues Ribeiro (54) was arrested by investigating gardaí from the Garda Human Trafficking and Co-ordination Unit when he returned to Ireland from his native Brazil.