Brothel maid is spared jail term

A maid who helped run a Black Country brothel has avoided a prison sentence after a judge said he was not presiding over a "court of morals".

Married Marisa Paterson was the first person police spotted when they raided the shop, called Fun Place, on Bearwood Road in Bearwood.

Paterson, seen in public as a respectable figure, attending a ladies event at Wolverhampton Racecourse, admitted working as a maid and receptionist, taking phone calls and bookings.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday that she would greet customers and arrange for rooms for customers and girls.

Customers would then pay the girls and Paterson, aged 39, of Wingfoot Avenue, Low Hill, Wolverhampton, would receive tips.

Paterson, who also admitted updating the brothel's website, pleaded guilty to assisting in the management of a brothel.

A financial investigation is now under way to see what financial gain Paterson made from her employment.

Judge Nicholas Webb said: "This is not a court of morals, it's a court of law. What you did was illegal, but this is not a case where there is any evidence that you took a guiding, or by any stretch of the imagination, a leading role in the management of this brothel."

He gave Paterson a community order and ordered her to do 80 hours of unpaid work. Mr Gurdeep Garcha, defending, said she was now hoping to help her husband run a new business.

* Yesterday, Vanessa Hutchins, aged 39, of Florence Avenue, Lanesfield, pleaded guilty to assisting to manage a brothel in Stafford Street, Walsall. She was granted bail.