Convicted of assisting in the management of a brothel for working in a sauna

In 2010, a woman was convicted of assisting in the management of a brothel for working in a sauna in Birmingham. She worked two days a week and had only been there for six weeks. Despite her minimal involvement in the running of the premises the law on brothel-keeping is so wide-ranging that she was advised that she could be convicted. She pleaded guilty to avoid exposure because she was worried for her teenage daughter. She was sentenced to 80 hours community service but then spent three years fighting a confiscation order for £10,000 (way above the amount she earned). During this time her new born baby died but she was still treated brutally by the court until Legal Action for Women advocated on her behalf. She nearly lost her home and had to take out a bank loan to pay off the debt.