Hannah Stead, 23, is the third person charged in relation to an alleged sex slave ring uncovered in Brisbane last week. Photo / Facebook
Hannah Stead, 23, is the third person charged in relation to an alleged sex slave ring uncovered in Brisbane last week. Photo / Facebook
A Queensland woman has been charged in relation to in an alleged sexual slavery ring uncovered in Brisbane last week.
Hannah Christina Stead, 23, appeared in Brisbane Arrests Court on Friday after being charged with conducting a business involving servitude and unlawful prostitution.
She is the third person to be charged in the case, following the arrest of Matthew James Markcrow and Crystal Marie Sawyer last week.
Police allege several women aged between 17 and 24 were subjected to sexual servitude, plied with stupefying drugs and subjected to controlled living, financial and work conditions.
Chillingly, the women were allegedly branded with tattoos and filmed without their consent.
Posts taken from the Facebook page of Matthew Markcrow, depicting the tattoos in question. Photo / Facebook
Court documents say Stead, from Fairfield, carried on the business of unlawful prostitution between March 2019 and November last year.
She is said to have conducted a business involving servitude between March 2019 and last August with a person under the age of 18 – an offence contrary to the Commonwealth Criminal Code.
Her case was adjourned to February 24 after her brief appearance in court on Friday.
As part of her bail conditions, she cannot approach Markcrow, Sawyer or five other women and must report to police once a week.
Hannah Stead was granted bail to reappear in court on February 24 after being charged with conducting a business involving servitude and unlawful prostitution. Photo / Facebook
Markcrow is facing 10 charges, including conducting unlawful prostitution, making recordings in breach of privacy and three counts of contravening an order about electronic information.
Photos shared on his Facebook page depict tattoos reading "Property of Matty M".
Matthew Markcrow is alleged to have kept multiple women as sex slaves while drugging and branding them with tattoos. Photo / Facebook
Sawyer, his partner, is facing two counts of contravening an order about electronic information and one count of conducting unlawful prostitution.
Crystal Marie Sawyer has been released on bail. Photo / Facebook
Sawyer was last week granted bail despite police concerns she would run the alleged operation in Markcrow's absence.
Millions of people in Queensland and New South Wales have been warned to brace for days without power after Tropical Cyclone Alfred makes landfall later this week.
