Express & Star

Mother ran brothel in rented Walsall property

A mother-of-three who ran a brothel from a rented house in the Black Country has been jailed for four months.

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Tanya Griffiths used to text prostitutes with details of shifts and clients wanting 'sexual services' at the property, in Midland Road, Walsall.

A range of provocative clothes and items linked to the sex trade were discovered at the address during a police swoop.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the house was rented by the daughter of Griffiths in 2010. But she returned home to live with her mother in 2011.

Rent continued to be paid for the property and officers executed a search warrant at around 1pm on November 8 last year.

They found 49 year-old Griffiths and two women in their early 20s sitting in the conservatory while the upstairs was sparsely furnished.

Officers found business cards around the address and discovered an advert in Bargain Pages, while phones had numbers connected to the property.

When interviewed by police one of the women who was in the building admitted working there since 2012 as a prostitute.

Miss Amy Jacobs, prosecuting, said although there were no substantial profits were being made, Griffiths was clearly 'managing the prostitutes' and was 'effectively organising the rota'.

When she was quizzed by officers Griffiths, of Viscount Drive, Castle Vale, Birmingham, said adult films had been made there but it was not being used as a brothel. But at crown court she admitted managing a brothel and was yesterday sentenced to four months in prison, of which she will serve half.

Mr Patrick Currie, defending, said police inquiries showed there had not been a regular flow of money into the bank account.

He said Griffiths worked as an escort following the breakdown of her marriage.

She was approached about the use of the property by prostitutes, although Mr Currie said no-one was forced into the trade and it came about as the premises became available rather than being sought.

"She knows women who work the street and she tells me she was approached by a number of women who asked if they could use the address for adult purposes.

"This was not a property that was sought out deliberately. All the girls who came to provide services there were all existing prostitutes."

The court was told she asked for a contribution towards the rent ranging from £5 to £20.

Sentencing her Judge Amjad Nawaz said: "People do not want that type of industry on their doorstep."

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