Sex trafficking trial hears from letting agent who rented flat to accused

A man told a sex trafficking trial how he found two Chinese women in nightgowns during the inspection of a Glasgow flat.

James Taylor, 65, claimed he saw the women in their mid to early twenties in the hallway of the property in Glasgow's Merchant City on August 30, 2018.

The property manager added that he also witnessed a Glaswegian man lying in one of the beds of a room with blacked out windows.

Jagpal Singh, 52, Donglin Zhang, 48, Vlassis Ntaoulias, 33, Jian Guang Yang, 62, Boonsong Wanas, 62, and Chunmei Zhang, 38, are all on trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The group, all from Glasgow, are said to have exploited a number of women mainly for prostitution at different addresses in the city.

The 12 charges span between August 2018 and February 2020.

The court heard from Mr Taylor who told jurors he was a property manager for letting agents Goodearl Property.

He claimed he was tasked with inspecting the property where Singh's company was a tenant.

The witness stated that he gave prior warning to Singh by post and email days before attending.

Mr Taylor claimed that he first noticed a CCTV camera at the front door which had not been there on previous visits.

The witness said he chapped the door twice and there was no response other than the sound of "shuffling" inside.

Mr Taylor stated he opened the door with a key and found a "young Chinese female in red and white negligee" in the hallway.

He claimed that the woman was speaking a foreign language on the phone at the time.

The witness added: "At that point another person came out the bedroom at the back of the flat and walked round a couple of chairs from the dining room which were put in the hallway.

"It looked like a dentist's waiting room is how I would describe it."

Mr Taylor claimed the first woman who was "panicked" and asked who he was.

He stated that he noticed another CCTV camera and a monitor in the hallway.

Prosecutor Chris Fyffe asked what he saw in one of the bedrooms.

Mr Taylor replied: "The bed was all made up with towels on it.

"The window was blacked out by red material to subdue the lighting and there was a small light behind that to give it an ambient type of atmosphere - more relaxed."

Mr Fyffe asked the witness to recall what was in the other bedroom.

He replied: "I opened the door and it was quite dark and I immediately saw a man lying on the double bed in the corner."

The witness stated that the man was "bare chested" and his suit was folded on a chair beside the bed.

Mr Taylor added: "He was a white Scot, he looked like a Glaswegian, he looked all burly with a full head of hair in his mid 30s."

He then described the two women as mid to late 20s Chinese with a stocky build and well made up.

The witness claimed a third Chinese woman entered through the front door and was aggressively shouting to the two women.

He stated they were "like two rabbits caught in a head light, accepting what was being shouted at them."

Mr Taylor stated the woman - who he then recognised as Singh's girlfriend - asked him why he was at the flat.

The witness claimed that he and the woman went back to another apartment in the building which was also rented by Singh.

The witness claimed to have seen six mobile phones on the dining table which the woman said belonged to her.

He added that a younger Chinese woman in black leather trousers entered the flat.

The witness - who is a former police inspector - stated that he reported what happened to his boss.

Brian McConnachie QC, defending Singh, put it to the witness that he was told to mind his own business.

The witness concurred and added that his boss said: "You work for me, you are not in the police now."

Andrew Stewart, 38, managing director of Goodearl Property, told the jury that he had dealt with Singh and his businesses from 2005 until 2018.

He claimed that the flat belonged to Singh's laundrette company who were renting it for employees' accommodation.

He claimed that he reported what Mr Taylor had witnessed back to Singh.

Mr Stewart said: "He was taken aback by it, he said there was someone else in the flat - there was a man and woman in the flat.

"He asked how he was to know if it was a boyfriend.

"I asked who was in the flat and he provided me with a name and passport."

The court was shown an email allegedly sent by Singh to Mr Stewart where he claims that the man was a "companion" of one of the women who met in a casino the previous night.

He also sent over a passport and UK visa permit for a Chinese female born in 1986.

The court was told the business relationship ended in September 2019 and the police were allowed entry into the flat.

The witness claimed he was unable to get into the flat during a later visit as the locks had been changed.

When officers later arrived at the property, Mr Stewart claimed Singh's girlfriend was inside.

The witness recalled meeting Ntaoulias on a separate occasion to show him properties.

Mr Stewart claimed that the meeting was halted after the first viewing as Ntaoulias stated he intended to sublet the properties to be used on AirbnB.

The trial continues before Judge Keith Brown.

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