An Australian couple have finally admitted to running a brothel out of their day spa in Bali in a major breach of Indonesia’s pornography laws.
Melbourne couple Michael, 50, and Lynley Le Grand, 44, were arrested following a raid on their Pink Palace Spa in Kuta in October last year.
The couple faced Bali’s Denpasar District Court late on Thursday for a hearing and conceded the spa had been operating as a ‘bisexual’ brothel.
The brothel allegedly ‘provided same-sex prostitution and bisexual practices’ which goes against Indonesian culture.
Lawyer Joniono Raharjo said the couple wished to serve their sentences so they could be reunited with their three children, the Herald Sun reports.
‘They said that they feel remorse, they said they have kids that should be cared for,’
‘Therefore, they have promised not to commit the act again. They have kids that should be cared for, they are their family’s backbone,’ Mr Joniono said.
‘They feel regret for what they have done and promise not to commit again.’
Melbourne couple Michael, 50, and Lynley Le Grand, 44, have admitted their Pink Palace Spa in Bali was operating as a brothel as they fronted court this week
Michael Le Grand is seen wearing an orange shirt and handcuffs as he is led by an officer
Prosecutor Ida Ayu Sulasmi told the court the couple has been ‘proven legally and convincingly guilty of committing the crime of pornography’.
Following the court hearing, Mr Sulasmi released a document detailing the couple’s official charges and the prosecutions sentencing demands.
It detailed the prosecution’s demand for a nine-month jail term, including time already served, for both Michael and Lynley.
It means the Le Grands could be released as early as June.
The Melbourne couple first caught the attention of Bali authorities after they opened the Pink Palace Spa in 2024.
The spa offered a ‘sensual body slide and hand relief’ for $100, with the couple advertising the spa on hired mobile billboards which triggered a police raid.
One sign, now covered with a tarpaulin, featured the slogan ‘Happy coq, happy life’.
Saranitha Olarenshaw, the estranged wife of former AFL star Ricky Olarenshaw, was also arrested following the raids.
The couple were arrested following police raids at the Pink Palace Spa in Kuta (pictured)
One sign, now covered with a tarpaulin, featured the slogan ‘Happy coq, happy life’ (pictured)
The mother-of-one was charged with breaching Indonesia’s pornography laws.
Olarenshaw told the court her former partner was running the brothel with his brother and two other Australian men.
But Mr Olarenshaw denied claims he had anything to do with running the brothel and neither he, his brother or the two other men have been charged.
Ms Olarenshaw and the Le Grands will face court again next week on March 6.
