Policing Sex Work

On Wednesday 23 June, Hanna Morris was charged with managing / keeping a brothel after she reported a serious attack. She faces up to seven years in prison.

Her colleague is charged with assisting in the management of a brothel and her partner who had nothing to do with the business, is charged with handling criminal property.

Last September, without hesitating, Ms Morris dialed 999 to report a serious attack into a flat used by her escort agency. Two identifiable men, one with a sawn-off shotgun up his sleeve, barged in, threw petrol about threatening to torch the premises and to hold the woman there against her will.

Ms Morris did all she could to help the police on the understanding that the information she gave would be used in the pursuit of the assailants. The attack was initially taken so seriously that helicopters and sniffer dogs were brought in, and the next door shopping precinct cordoned off. But within hours Ms Morris and her partner had been arrested; another colleague was subsequently arrested.

Nine months later, not only are Ms Morris and her colleagues being prosecuted, but the case against the violent assailants has been dropped. Ms Morris comments:

It used to be rare that I would hear about robberies in the area, we worked as part of a close community and were always looking out for one another. Now there isn't a month that goes by when I'm not hearing that a place has been robbed or a girl attacked, it's becoming more and more common, and everyone is too scared to report it. There have been six robberies in the last two months, none of which were reported, and that's just those that I have heard about. It's really quite frightening.

We have told the CPS that by prosecuting sex workers who report attacks instead of their attackers, police and Crown Prosecution Service are making women more vulnerable. The Bradford and Ipswich murders took place after police crackdowns drove sex workers further underground and into more danger. Women didn't report attacks for fear of arrest and violent men knew they could act with impunity. Surrey has shockingly low conviction rates for reported rape – nearly half the already disgraceful national average rate of 6.5%.

Why is Ms Morris being prosecuted? Is it proceeds of crime?

The Sexual Offences Act 2003 made brothel keeping a lifestyle offence, prosecutable under Proceeds of Crime legislation. Raids and prosecutions have become profitable: the police keep 50% of any assets confiscated both during raids and 25% from subsequent prosecutions, with the Crown Prosecution Service keeping another 25% and the Inland Revenue the rest. Ms Morris's and her partner's home and assets have all been frozen. A substantial amount of cash put on one side to pay for income tax was taken in one of the police raids. No receipt was given.

The CPS is supposed to bear in mind the following considerations when prosecuting.

• To prevent people leading or forcing others into prostitution. But all women were working consensually independently. There was no force, coercion, violence or trafficking.
• The age of the prostitute and the position of those living off the earnings will clearly be relevant. All women who worked with Ms Morris were over 20 years of age. She was widely known to be good to work with, placing women's health and safety foremost. That she reported the attack on one of the women is testimony of that.
• To penalise those who organise prostitutes and make a living from their earnings. Like millions of others, Ms Morris ran a small private business, not a big exploitative company. Both she and her partner are now destroyed. The family, which includes small children, is facing having to rely on state benefits.
• Generally, the more serious the incident the more likely that a prosecution will be required. The serious incident was AGAINST Ms Morris, not BY her. So why is she being prosecuted?

The laws which criminalise sex workers must be abolished. Safety comes first.

The English Collective of Prostitutes asks

Please write to Neil Sweet, District Crown Prosecutor, Surrey neil.sweet@cps.gsi.gov.uk 01483 468 224 asking why women's safety is being endangered in this way.

Please copy your letter to us and to Portia Ragnauth, Surrey Chief Crown Prosecutor portia.ragnauth@cps.gsi.gov.uk 01483 468 205

Ms Morris is available to be interviewed. Contact: English Collective of Prostitutes Tel: 020 7482 2496 Email: ecp@allwomencount.net

Abuse of Process case against Surrey Police on behalf of Hanna Morris
Monday 21 February
10am Guildford Crown Court

Hanna Morris said:

I would like to thank everyone who gave their support, either in body or spirit, for my court case on 4 February. It is gratefully appreciated. This is a harrowing time for my family and I, but we are strengthened by knowing that people's thoughts are with us. The case has been adjourned till 21 February, if anybody would like to attend court you'd be very welcome as we hope to put forward a strong united front.

The case aims to stop the prosecution of Ms Morris who reported a violent attack and now faces charges for brothel-keeping and money laundering.

On 16 September 2009, Ms Morris dialled 999 when two identifiable men, one who appeared to have a sawn-off shot gun up his sleeve, barged into a flat used by her escort agency, threw petrol around and threatened to torch the place. Anxious to protect the women who work for the agency, Ms Morris innocently helped the police investigation.

The abuse of process case is being brought because:

• The investigation against the dangerous men has been dropped, but Ms Morris is being prosecuted.
• Ms Morris's gave the police information on the understanding that it was needed to pursue the attackers. Without it, Surrey Police would have no evidence against her.
• Ms Morris was never at any point cautioned that what she was telling the police would be used as evidence against her.
• If the judge rules that there has been no abuse of process, Ms Morris will ask the court to exclude evidence obtained from her, from any proceedings against her.

Ms Morris' solicitor Nigel Richardson (Hodge Jones and Allen) wrote to Surrey Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ask for the prosecution to be dropped as it is completely contrary to the stated aims of trying to improve the safety of sex workers and that it is hard to see how a prosecution in this case can do anything but . . . make would-be attackers more confident in their actions and increase the dangers for working women. . . the prosecution of this offence is likely to directly discourage the reporting of crimes against potentially vulnerable women and thus increase risks to their safety.

Why is Ms Morris being prosecuted for trying to protect women and ensure that violent men are not free to attack others? The Director of Public Prosecutions claims to prioritise women's safety. What does he have to say about this prosecution?

The prominent anti-rape group Women Against Rape comments:

90% of rapists go free. Prosecuting Hannah Morris who tried to bring two violent men to justice is perverse. Rapists and other violent men often target sex workers assuming they cannot call the police. If sex workers are denied the protection of the law, this vulnerability is magnified. The CPS and police should prosecute rapists, not victims.

Is profiteering by police and CPS behind this surge of prosecutions? Hanna Morris is not the only woman who is being prosecuted in this way. The CPS's record is riddled with such injustices. Under Proceeds of Crime law the police keep 50% of assets confiscated during raids and 25% from subsequent prosecutions, with the CPS keeping another 25% and the Inland Revenue the rest. Ms Morris's home and life savings have been frozen pending confiscation if she is found guilty.

English Collective of Prostitutes

020 7482 2496
www.prostitutescollective.net
ecp@prostitutescollective.net

A gang of Southampton robbers had planned to exploit sex workers' vulnerability of being unable to call for police assistance lest they get arrested themselves.

Police had unearthed a list of brothels and other potential victims that were to be targeted by the gang. Officers then visited known prostitutes to warn them they were at risk, and of course immediately arrested 2 potential victims for running a brothel.

The pair told officers they rented the flat together to work safely, but from the authorities viewpoint, that made the operation illegal as they were working as a duo.

The operation was revealed as the two women were sentenced at the city's crown court for running a brothel from a Southampton flat. Kim Byrne and Claire Smith worked between 2009 and 2010 by offering themselves for sex from the rented city centre property.

When police raided their St Michael's Street flat they found mobile phones with text messages confirming appointments and prices. Southampton Crown Court heard they were raided after being warned they could be in danger.

Defending Byrne, Peter Asteris told the court the police were aware of the pair, who had helped them in the past and informed them about an under age Eastern European girl working in the sex trade.

Both admitted charges of assisting in the management of a brothel. Recorder Ian Pringle gave Byrne a 12-month supervision order, while Smith was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid community work.

Comment: Mr Plod's Piggy Bank

8th March 2011. Thanks to Alan

That's two cases you've mentioned in the last month of coppers going after prostitutes in cases of assault or threatened assault on the women. I wonder if the prospect of proceeds of crime is lighting up Mr Plod's piggy little eyes yet again?

As for this unpaid work shite, why don't people call it what they did when it occurred in the Soviet block - slave labour? Why are judges such spineless creeps? This was a case which called out for absolute discharge, no award of costs to the prosecution, and a few sharp words to Mr Plod.

Three people who ran a number of brothels across Surrey have been convicted of running brothels.

Ms Morris, together with her partner Michael Jones and their friend Valerie Coster, had all admitted to running the Cloud 9 brothel in Constitution Hill, Woking as well as sites in Guildford and Camberley

Morris was given a 12-month sentence suspended for 2 years and was also ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work. Her partner, Michael Jones was also sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work for four counts of using criminal property in connection with the keeping of a brothel.

Valerie Coster received a 16-week jail term, suspended for 12 months, after pleading guilty to assisting in the management of a brothel. She was made the subject of a 12-month supervision order, with the requirement of carrying out 120 hours of unpaid service.

All three entered guilty pleas after failing in an abuse of power case against Surrey Police.

Morris and Jones were arrested when Morris made a 999 call after two men burst into a Woking flat used by Cloud 9. The men were armed with what was thought to be shotguns, and poured petrol around the Park Heights apartment.

Police cordoned off the street as they investigated the matter, only later were Ms Morris and the other defendants arrested on suspicion of brothel keeping.

The court heard how Hanna told officers where her other brothels were as she believed the attackers were heading there and wanted to ensure the women working in them were safe.

All three had their sentences suspended after Judge Suzan Matthews QC described their circumstances as unique. Sentencing, Judge Matthews, said: You were a keeper of brothels and made substantial profits from it. This was a substantial brothel keeping.