The wife of an AFL star has lost her appeal to be freed over what she claims was an unlawful arrest in connection with charges of running a brothel in Bali undercover in her spa business.
Sarnanitha ‘Nitha’ Olarenshaw, estranged wife of former Essendon player and premiership winner Ricky Olarenshaw, lost a pre-trial freedom bid in Denpasar District Court on Tuesday and was ordered to pay court costs.
Presiding Judge Tenny Erma Suryathi ruled that police lawfully arrested Olarenshaw and had gathered enough evidence to charge his company with offering sex to clients at his Flame Seminyak spa.
Olarenshaw’s lawyer, Manaon Damianus Sirait, told reporters outside court that while they were “disappointed” by Tuesday’s outcome, they respect the decision.
Imam Ismail of the police legal team said prosecutors would now focus on completing a dossier of evidence “so that the trial can begin soon.”
Olarenshaw, an Instagram influencer with 20,000 followers, faces up to 12 years in prison if charged and convicted of alleged “pornography and prostitution” activities in the business.
His lawyer, Donny Tri Istiqomah, told Daily Mail Australia last week that Olarenshaw had been a victim of “exploitation” and “criminalization” by foreigners.
Istigomah claimed that while Olarenshaw, being Balinese, owned 99 per cent of the business to circumvent local laws, all profits went to four Australians who had shares in Flame.
Sarnanitha ‘Nitha’ Olarenshaw, estranged wife of former Essendon player and premiership winner Ricky Olarenshaw, has lost a legal appeal over charges she ran and owned a brothel under the cover of a spa business.
Olarenshaw claimed the four Australians are her ex-husband Ricky, her brother Darren and two other Australians living in Bali, Adam Dalby and Gregory Hinchliffe.
Istigomah insisted that Flame Seminyak, part of a chain of spas with sister centers in Kuta and Canggu, only offered “sensual massages, not sexual intercourse”.
Olarenshaw is being held at the Bali Police Detention and Evidence Directorate, along with Melbourne couple Michael and Lynley Le Grand, who were arrested separately for alleged prostitution at Pink Palace Spa.
Panjaitan said police believed they already had in custody all those responsible for allegedly allowing prostitution in their businesses.
Sarnanitha ‘Nitha’ Olarenshaw (pictured with her family) will remain behind bars
‘Everyone can claim a business as their own, but if there is no legal document to prove it, how could we prove it?’ said.
‘How can you prove that it is yours, if you don’t have the document that proves that it is yours?’
Olarenshaw and her estranged husband have a nine-year-old daughter from their relationship, who has so far remained in Bali.