Man fined in court after allowing flat to be used as brothel

Newbury magistrates heard in court last week that it became “common knowledge” in the town that the flat adjacent to the Pro-Bike shop in Newtown Road was used by prostitutes.
Police filmed naked women cavorting with clients, sex toys and condoms were scattered around, and on the wall was a rota of women’s names alongside a warning about ‘freelancing’, the court was told.
In the dock last Thursday, was 50-year-old Pro-Bike owner Mark Slater, of Stoney Lane, Ashmore Green.
Hasrat Ali, prosecuting, said police obtained a search warrant and raided the flat.
She added: “One officer was wearing a body camera and filmed as he moved through the premises. In one room there was a female in a state of undress with a male.
“There were various sex toys and condoms; there were panic buttons; there was a client with a working girl in another room; in another there was a male with £200 in cash on him and another female in another room.”
Mrs Ali said various notices referring to weekend working rotas, and threatening the sack to any girl caught giving her private number to clients, made it clear the premises was a brothel.
She said Mr Slater had the flat on a long lease, and initially allowed car dealer Philip Edgehill to install “one of his girls” there. When Mr Edgehill was jailed for criminal offences in 2007, said Mrs Ali, “the brothel continued”.
She added: “It became common knowledge it was a brothel. Mr Slater has been asked many questions about his financial status, but because all deals were in cash we have no evidence he received rent of any sort.”
Mr Slater initially denied a charge of knowingly permitting use of premises, namely 22 Newtown Road, as a brothel on November 9 last year. The court heard he changed his plea to guilty after seeing police footage of the raid.
Trudi Yeatman, defending, said her client was a man of previous good character.
She said Mr Slater’s bike shop had been repeatedly burgled and that having people use the flat had prevented further break-ins.
Ms Yeatman added: “There were a number of visits by uniformed officers in the past, but it was never brought to his attention there was a problem, so he wrongly assumed whatever was happening was legitimate.
“He had never been inside the premises when it was being used as a brothel. Of course, if just one girl is working there, it’s legal and not a brothel. The first time he saw exactly what was going on was when he saw the film from the police body camera.”
Mr Slater was fined £600 and ordered to pay £850 towards the costs of the aborted trial, plus a £60 victim surcharge.
During the hearing, the solicitor representing Mr Slater urged magistrates to make an anonymity order in respect of her client. However, magistrates supported the NWN’s challenge that there was no such provision in law with regard to the case.