Woman, 19, escapes custody over brothel

A 19-year-old woman escaped being sent to custody after admitting running a brothel at a house in the Black Country.

Polish national Anna Orzol of Pound Street, Wednesbury, admitted keeping a brothel in West Bromwich.

Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday heard that she assisted in managing the Trinity Street premises for prostitution between July 2007 and July 2008. The court heard Orzol helped set up the brothel in July 2007 and worked there as a prostitute until September 2007.

She later quit the role after becoming pregnant.

Orzol placed adverts, charged £80 an hour for services and could have as many as three clients a day at premises open seven days a week, the court heard.

Mr Hugh O'Brien-Quinn, prosecuting, said: "The property was raided on June 4 by police officers.

"At the time there were three males and three females at the property. In one of the bedrooms there was a male and a female.

"At the time of the raid Miss Orzol was not in the property, but one of the males was her boyfriend."

Mr Shiva Misra, defending, said: "She is deeply remorseful about what has happened and she is very embarrassing. She has lost her good character and is very remorseful.

"In Poland this kind of behaviour is acceptable and she did not realise it was not the case in this country at the time. She did it to help support herself because of financial difficulties."

Judge Anjad Nawaz, said: "It may be acceptable in other jurisdictions, but it is not legal here.

"You are a woman of previous good character and are nonetheless a mother.

"However, you used your account to help place advertisements telling people about the brothel and even though you were not directly involved in the running of it after September 2007, you were an integral cog in the business machine."

Orzol was given six months custody suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 60 hours community work.