A MAN and a woman who ran a brothel in Warrington and exploited a young woman into prostitution are now serving time behind bars.
Marian Curteanu, aged 39, from Romania pleaded guilty to controlling prostitution for gain and was sentenced to two and a half years during a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, 25 July.
Andrada Barbieru, aged 22 from Romania also pleaded guilty to Controlling prostitution for gain and was jailed for two years.
The court heard how in February this year officers conducted a warrant at an address on Amelia Street in Warrington.
Curteanu and Barbieru were inside the property and in possession of a large quantity of cash, numerous mobile phones and log in details for a prostitution website. The pair were arrested and a 21-year-old victim, who was inside the property was taken away by specially trained officers.
Curteanu and Barbieru exploited the victim into being a prostitute, taking all of the money and leaving her deeply unhappy but ‘too scared to escape or say anything’.
Officers worked closely with partner agencies including sexual health workers, social services and interpreters throughout the investigation before charging and remanding the pair.
Detective Constable Carl Davis, of Warrington CID, said: “Curteanu and Barbieru took advantage of a vulnerable young woman for their own greedy needs making her fearful and scared of how she was going to get out of such a terrible situation.
“The successful outcome of this operation reinforces our commitment to tackling prostitution and protecting those who are cruelly exploited by this crime.
“Our work will continue in tackling this crime but we can’t do it alone. We strongly need the community to come forward with any information or suspicions they have and report them to us. Together we can help protect the vulnerable and punish the perpetrators.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.
1 Comment
And are they being returned to Romania ?