BOURNEMOUTH sex workers arranged and negotiated appointments without consulting their alleged ‘pimp’, a court heard.
Oliver Jovanovic is facing trial at Bournemouth Crown Court alongside his cousin for arranging the travel of a person with a view to exploit.
Jovanovic is also accused of controlling prostitution for gain, but both men deny the charges.
A series of text messages were read out in court on July 16, detailing the sex workers arranging their appointments with customers.
It was previously said by prosecutor Nick Tucker that the defendant aided the sex workers in managing their appointments and their travel, while benefiting from their profits.
However, defence counsel, Thomas Evans, provided examples to the court of dates when the prostitutes would contact customers without any input from the defendant.
On May 13, 2022, a customer asked the sex worker if she was available for an in call, meaning the client would attend the prostitutes’ address.
He asked to attend the Bournemouth address in 20 minutes, but the sex worker said she would need at least an hour.
“If you want, I have another friend for you now but I’m not home,” she said.
“I’ll come in one hour but I have two girls who are very nice.”
Mr Evans said that although the defendant and sex worker had been in touch earlier that day, there was no communication between them while she was negotiating and offering other sex workers to the customer.
On May 14 the prostitute was arranging an appointment with another customer at 9.05pm, who asked if she was free that night and she said yes.
Seconds after agreeing their arrangement, the defendant called the sex worker.
The customer texted the worker saying he will arrive in 20 minutes, but she did not respond.
Around 19 minutes later the customer said he had arrived but she still did not reply.
Another five minutes passed before the customer became frustrated and texted her saying “come on.”
The customer eventually left without the sex worker ever replying to him.
Mr Evans said it appears that after a call with the defendant the sex worker “completely ignored” the customer.
It was previously said that that the defendant’s cousin, Jacimovic who lives in Liverpool, visited Bournemouth for a short period in May 2022 and was “enlisted” to help his cousin with transporting the women.
When Jacimovic was interviewed by police he said he drove the women to Wakefield as a favour to his cousin but was unaware they were prostitutes.
Whereas, Jovanovic said he knew the women were sex workers and sometimes helped them with lifts because he was concerned for their welfare.
Oliver Jovanovic, 31 and of Suffolk Road in Bournemouth, and Sebastian Jacimovic, 29 and of Garway in Liverpool, deny the charges.
The trial continues.
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