Express & Star

Brothel owner could be jailed

A man has been warned he could be jailed for running a brothel in a flat on the outskirts of a Black Country town centre.

Published

A man has been warned he could be jailed for running a brothel in a flat on the outskirts of a Black Country town centre.

Roger Dell, aged 43, pleaded guilty yesterday to being at the helm of the brothel in Stafford Street, Walsall, between January 1 and December 16 last year.

Residents living near said it was no secret what had been going on at the drab flat and that men had been visiting it for years.

The flat used is above Abadar Food Store, although there is no suggestion of any link between the two.

A pensioner from Croft Street, just yards from where people came and went from the back door of the flat, said the brothel was common knowledge among locals.

"It's been there for years," he said.

"Everyone around here knew about it and I'm not sure if anyone told the police, but there was certainly nothing ever done."

A woman passing the site said she believed it had been used as a brothel for around four years.

Matthew Haynes, manager of nearby Ricochet Music Rooms studio in Stafford Street, said he was unaware of the antics.

"I'm shocked," he said. "I didn't know what was happening there, but it is really busy along this part of the road, so I guess that is why."

Sentenced

Dell, from Coleman Street, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, will be sentenced for keeping a brothel at a later date.

He was remanded on bail for reports at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday.

Judge Robin Onions said: "All options will be considered and custody will be an option open to the judge who finally deals with the matter."

It comes as police in Walsall continue their crackdown on prostitution.

Under Operation Nominal, more than 120 kerb-crawlers' cars were stopped over 18 months - with three of five vehicles confiscated sent to the crusher.

Police leading a blitz in Pleck, Caldmore and Palfrey said men from as far afield as Taunton and Manchester have been arrested while looking for sex workers.

Officers have been staging regular patrols around hot-spots including Wednesbury Road, Tasker Street, Regal Drive and Darlaston Road in to stamp out the problem.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.