Brothel house landlord fined
RESIDENTS’ LIVES MADE A MISERY BY MEN LOOKING FOR SEX
A BROTHEL, operating out of a house, plagued a quiet village street with strangers searching for sex.
Neighbours on Ridley Gardens in Swalwell, Gateshead, have revealed men would pull up and knock on doors trying to find the illicit sex den.
Paul Hughes, owner and landlord licence holder of the property, has since been fined for failing to comply with the conditions of a licence after a prosecution by Gateshead Council.
A young mum living on Ridley Gardens, who did not wish to be named, said: “Strangers would be knocking on your door trying to find the brothel, and it was constant.
“I was here for about a year and a half before I found out, but once I was told it all made sense.
“I have children – I won’t let them play out in the street now.”
A disgruntled resident complained to Gateshead Council in August of last year about the home being used as a brothel.
Police found the property was set up for sex work, and several women were found at the address.
Another neighbour said: “The house was behind big bushes so it was very concealed.
“We had heard a couple of things about what went on there. “Men would be up and down the street on their phones trying to find the house.” Hughes was prosecuted after he failed to comply with the conditions of his landlord licence, issued in March 2014 under the Selective Licensing Scheme.
The landlord, who owns and rents out a number of properties in the Swalwell area, was contacted by Gateshead Council officers by phone and email between August 31 and September 20, 2016.
Hughes was asked on several occasions to provide information about who was living at the address, to provide a copy of the tenancy agreement and proof tenants had been properly vetted and reference checked.
He was also asked to give information about how he intended to deal with the matter, information he did not provide until October 2016.
When interviewed by the council under caution in October, Hughes said that it was obvious that he had been provided with a false reference by the tenant and that he had been “duped” in to offering her the property.
He admitted he didn’t carry out the necessary checks on the tenant and did not obtain proper references, and failing to properly complete his copy of the tenancy agreement. He also failed to carry out checks on smoke alarms at the property or provide an inventory of the items.
Hughes pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the conditions of a licence issued under the Selective Licensing Scheme for the property.
He was found not guilty of knowingly allowing the house to be used as a brothel.
Sentencing Hughes at court, District Judge Roger Elsey said the landlord had caused “misery” for Ridley Gardens residents.
He said: “These offences carry an unlimited fine because they are serious offences.
“All fines imposed are a punishment and are meant to be a deterrent to other landlords.
“You showed reckless disregard of your obligations as a landlord and this disregard led to misery for the residents of Ridley Gardens for some considerable period of time.
“You also didn’t work with Gateshead Council in helping to resolve the matter in a timely fashion. These are all aggravating factors.”
Hughes was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £400 in court costs following the prosecution.
Anneliese Hutchinson, service director for development, transport and public protection at Gateshead Council, said: “The lives of local residents were blighted. This case shows that we will take action to help protect people from this kind of unscrupulous activity.”