Mansfield Woodhouse brothel men escape jail sentences

Two men who operated a brothel in Mansfield Woodhouse for two years where women sold sex for £100 an hour have escaped jail sentences.
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Howard Belton and David Morgan both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the management of a brothel on Grove Street, Mansfield Woodhouse.

Belton (56) of Grove street, Mansfield Woodhouse, and Morgan (53) of Redoaks Court, Warsop, appeared at Nottingham Crown Court today for sentencing.

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The court was told their arrests followed an investigation by specialist officers spanning more than two years after an anonymous report to police.

Officers attended the property in Grove Street and established it was operating as a brothel. In July 2012 Morgan was arrested there and inside there was a letter addressed to Belton.

The judge Recorder Sean Smith was told in May 2012 police found two ‘oriental’ women at the premises offering their services as prostitutes.

In July 2012 another ‘oriental’ woman was found with a man and she had agreed it was a brothel.

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Over a two day period, CCTV footage showed 17 men visiting the house, where prostitutes charged £60 for half an hour or £100 for a full hour of sex.

The brothel was still operating in February 2013, when a mobile phone number advertising ‘Mansfield Woodhouse Angels’ led police to the Grove Street address.

Morgan, who was living in the property said the Thai prostitutes had moved out and there was an English girl offering her services.

Officers raided the premises and found £3,310 in cash and a further £15,000 in a bank account.

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Belton had admitted funded the renting and maintenance of the property being used as a brothel while Morgan oversaw the day to day running of it.

Belton, an alcoholic, had inherited £300,000 which he told police he had drank away in a couple of years.

He had set up the brothel initially with a woman who had originally suggested it, but carried on when she left him.

Felicity Campbell, defence counsel, said Belton had admitted it was a brothel but had not expected or received significant financial gain.

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The women had been working for themselves and he had taken a cut.

The court was told Morgan had played a lesser role as a manager but not on a continuous basis. He had lived there rent free.

There was no suggestion of ill treatment of the women.

Recorder Sean Smith described their crimes as heinous.

He said: “Contradictory to what some people think, the real victims in these cases are the women who have to carry out prostitution.

“There is an increasing amount of this kind of crime where people are being trafficked with no money and are driven to do things.

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“There may be individuals who want to do it but the vast majority of these have been forced into it.

“This is not a case of people being forced into it by you.

“If it was you would be facing imprisonment.”

He said Belton had started the brothel up and had shown he was determined to start up a place where women could be exploited for his own financial gain.

The judge said their operation was not sophisticated and at the lower end of the spectrum.

He sentenced Belton to nine months suspended for 18 months and imposed a six month curfew order, with £80 victim surcharge.

Morgan was given a 12 month community order with a three month curfew and a £60 victim surcharge.

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