Brothel madam guilty of running Fife sex service

Offender transferred large sums of cash to her native Taiwan

A woman has been found guilty of running a brothel from a luxury flat in Fife.

Chin Chih Chang was convicted in a unanimous verdict following a five-day trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

The 53-year-old was also found guilty of transferring almost £30,000 of criminal property to individuals outside of Scotland. The jury took less than an hour to find her guilty.

Chang was also given a confiscation order by the Crown, which will attempt to seize her ill-gotten gains at a later date.

She was released on bail and was told to sign in at her local police station in Hove, East Sussex, within 24 hours.

The Courier has obtained photos of the police raid on the Lord Gambier Wharf property on May 31 last year.

A neighbour, Barry Livingstone, told the trial he saw men coming to the property in the months leading up to the raid.

He said he was curious about what was happening inside, so searched on the internet for “massage in Kirkcaldy” and came across adverts placed by Chang under her alias name of Sophia.

The adverts offered “professional massage” but several witnesses told the trial they were offered sexual services by Chang and the girls who worked from the property.

Another witness, James Saunders, said he had started using the services at Lord Gambier Wharf but began receiving visits to his home during the winter.

He told how the cash – between £80 and £110 – was always handed to “the boss lady” by either himself or the young Asian girl who was giving him “the full service”.

Giving evidence in front of Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist, Chang denied running the brothel and said it would be “impossible” for her to do so.

Four mobile phones, including one using the number that was registered on Gumtree, were found during the raid alongside lubricant and a Moneygram receipt for £600.

Chang was also convicted of transferring criminal property, namely sums of cash, outside the country and sending it to her native Taiwan.

The court heard almost £30,000 was sent through one bank account belonging to the brothel-keeper between April 2016 and May 2017.

Another held £2,000 during the same time period. Additional cash was seized during the raid but Chang’s business documents officially recorded her earnings at around £23,000 a year.

Sentence was deferred for background reports and Chang, of Eaton Road, Hove, Sussex, will return for sentencing on June 27.

Sentence has been deferred on 53-year-old Chin Chih Chang for background reports.