Massage parlour dad wins access to kids

THE Family Court has ruled that married men who regularly visit prostitutes -- or massage parlours that offer a "happy ending" -- are not necessarily bad parents and should not be refused access to their children.

The court made the ruling after a wife, known in court files as Mrs Digg, claimed her husband's "dark and seedy habit" of paying for what he called "sexual relief" and she described as "prostitution" should disqualify him as the primary carer of their three children, particularly their two daughters.

She said his use of such services suggested a poor attitude to women and a dishonest character.

The court heard the marriage suffered a "catastrophic blow" in 2007 when Mrs Digg discovered her husband had been visiting massage parlours for eight years.

Mr Digg admitted he "regularly had massages . . . the end result of which was sexual relief" but denied having intercourse. He said he kept the activities secret from his wife but she found out when she checked his phone bill and found numbers for sexual services.

Mrs Digg left the marriage after counselling failed, taking the children with her. They were ordered back to the marital home by the courts.

Mrs Digg, who has since found a new partner, said she took the children because she was seeking a "fresh start" in a town more than five hours away, where the father's "addiction to prostitutes" was not known.

But the father argued it was better for the children to stay in the town where they had lived all their lives, and the court agreed.

Massage parlour goes up in flames

Firefighters battled a blaze at a massage parlour in central Auckland this afternoon.

Staff were evacuated after the fire broke out on the second floor of the building in Fort Street, at 1.50pm.

A total of 10 fire crews fought to bring the blaze under control but nobody was injured and ambulance crews were not requested, northern fire communications shift manager Colin Underdown said.

He said the massage parlour was extensively damaged by fire and a ground floor internet cafe and restaurant suffered water damage.

The cause of the fire was still being investigated.

Massage parlour targeted in petrol bomb attack

A massage parlour called “Nature and Health Care” near H. Tuscaloosa in Malé was the target of a petrol bomb on Friday morning.

According to the Maldives Police Service, a petrol bomb had been thrown against the door of the massage parlour on the first floor of H. Dhakadhaamaage causing damage to the front door and shattering the glass on two other doors inside. The fire caused damaged to some of the furniture and equipment inside the building too, Police said.

According to Haveeru sources, the place was registered as a clinic that provided beauty and health care services but also hired expatriate women to offer massage services.

Police said that no one was injured in the attack and that the investigation was still ongoing. No arrests have been made in connection to the attack, a Police official said.

Massage parlours had been very popular in Malé some years back. The Government had eventually closed down all the massage parlours but they had promptly sprung up under the guise of registered ‘health clinics’.