A couple who run a brothel in Harrogate have been jailed ro 10 years for controlling prostitution for gain. The police state this was an illegal business involving human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain.
Was human trafficking involved, in which case these people should be convicted, but I have caveats about this. If their only crime was Controlling Prostitution for Gain, then I belive their conviction was probably unjust.
The issues with both convictions are:
1. Trafficking. If the women arrives at the brothel, place of work, under her own volition, paying her own way, then trafficking is not involved. If the brothel owner transports her, or even gives/loans her money to get a taqxi/bus to the the place of sexual work, then this is a traffiking offence.
2. Controlling prostitution for gain, both gain, and control have to be proved. Gain would be getting some money from the appointments. What is control, asking the escort to dress a certain way, organising her schedule, even getting bookings for her. One agency in London managed to shoul thet did not control by letting the escorts make the decsion to accept the bookings or reject the bookings. The agency was only acting as an interface between escort and client. Running a brothel makes this so much harder to ptoved that there was no control for gain.
I don't know the ins an outs of this case, but I find it hard to say these two people were bad. They might be, but alas the article goes into know details other than statements from the polce.