Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 gives courts the power to freeze bank accounts and seize savings and assets of people convicted for prostitution offences. The burden of proof is reversed so people have to prove that any money they have was not earned through “criminal activity”. Police and the Crown Prosecution Service keep a proportion (18% respectively) of any money and assets seized. Prosecutions for brothel-keeping and other prostitution charges have risen since POCA indicating that police profiteering is fuelling raids and arrests.
In 2010, a woman was charged with brothel-keeping. She had decided to work with other women after she had a knife held to her throat whilst working as an escort. She had a teenage son with special needs so decided to plead guilty because she thought that was the best way to ensure that she […]
On Wednesday 23 June, Hanna Morris was charged with managing / keeping a brothel after she reported a serious attack. She faces up to seven years in prison. Her colleague is charged with assisting in the management of a brothel and her partner who had nothing to do with the business, is charged with handling criminal […]
A man has been charged with the murder of three women in Bradford. When will sex workers’ safety be prioritised? The discovery of a woman’s body, now confirmed to be that of Suzanne Blamires, has focussed press attention on the disappearances of three women in Bradford. Stephen Griffiths has been charged with their murder. Our […]
A malicious prosecution with a happy ending. On Thursday 29 April 2010, in Luton Crown Court, Claire Finch was found NOT GUILTY of a criminal charge of keeping a brothel. The jury, in line with public opinion, refused to criminalise Ms Finch for working together with friends from her own home for safety. Ms Finch, her friends […]
The English Collective of Prostitutes says a ‘moral crusade’ is under way based on the mistaken belief that sex workers are all controlled by criminal gangsJamie DowardAn increasing number of prostitutes who work from home, often for safety reasons, are being prosecuted, according to the organisation that represents English sex workers.The English Collective of Prostitutes […]
UPDATE 29/04/2010: Today in Luton Crown Court Claire Finch was found not guilty of a criminal charge of keeping a brothel. The jury, in line with public opinion, refused to criminalise Ms Finch for working together with friends from her own home for safety. This malicious prosecution was motivated by a moral crusade and financial incentives for the […]
In January 2010, a Thai woman was charged with trafficking and brothel-keeping. She worked in a flat with other women where she organised the advertising and paid the rent. She and her husband had given a lift in their car to a sex worker they had known for years, from one town to another in […]
Dear Friends,We know there are fewer people around over the holiday season but another woman in our network is facing brothel keeping charges. Please can you write immediately to Sarah Brown at Luton Crown Prosecution Service, using the letter below to express your concerns.sarah.brown2@cps.gsi.gov.uk Ms F is a mother and was working with four friends […]
By the English Collective of Prostitutes. Co-ordinators of the SAFETY FIRST COALITION House of Lords, second reading Wednesday 3 June. Using flawed trafficking statistics as justification, the measures target anyone involved in prostitution whether or not there is force or coercion. They would drive prostitution further underground and sex workers into even more danger. In […]
By the English Collective of Prostitutes. Co-ordinators of the SAFETY FIRST COALITION Third Reading Tuesday 19 May. Using flawed trafficking statistics as justification, the measures target anyone involved in prostitution whether or not there is force or coercion. They would drive prostitution further underground and sex workers into even more danger. In the present recession, and combined […]