A Soho landlord has been found guilty today (Wed)

A Soho landlord has been found guilty today (Wed) by a
jury of living off the earnings of prostitutes who ‘operated’
out of two seedy vice dens.

Married man John Anthony, 57, used his ill-gotten gains
to live the good life in Stanmore, Middlesex, and buy two cars
including a Mercedes, Snaresbrook Crown Court was told.

After his arrest he told vice squad detectives he would
only collect rent and had nothing to do with the activities
of the prostitutes.

But it took a little over an hour and a half for the jury
to find smartly dressed Anthony guilty of living off the earnings
of prostitutes between February 16 and March 25 last year.

Anthony, of Aldridge Avenue, Stanmore, Middlesex, denied
the charge.

Judge Gee remanded him on bail until April 7 and warned
that the fact he was ordering a pre-sentence report was ‘no
indication of how the matter was going to be dealt with one way
or the other.

‘
Jurors heard how there were weeks of observation by plain
clothed police officers outside two buildings in Charing Cross
Road and Moor Street in London’s West End.

Mr Duncan Munro-Kerr, prosecuting, said that ‘it became
obvious’ that particular flats there were being used by prostitutes
as places where they could perform personal services for clients.

Undercover officers would ask the women there – two of whom
were referred to as ‘Nicky’ and Rita’ – ‘for a price list’ and
then ‘gave excuses that they did not want to have sex at that
time.

‘
Counsel continued: ‘On one occasion when a police officer
went in the visit was aborted because the prostitute recognised
the police officer.

‘
Mr Munro-Kerr said that ‘one of the most graphic notices
outside a flat was that all persons must wear condoms.

‘
The jury were told that at the Moor Street address there
was a disused minicab office on the ground floor and apartments
upstairs.

Anthony was regularly seen by officers at both of the two
Soho properties.

He was arrested at his home in Stanmore on March 25 last
year and in subsequent police interviews he agreed that
‘something like sex’ was taking place at the two buildings.

‘He accepted he was the landlord of the premises and knew
perfectly well they were operating as prostitutes,’ said counsel.

Anthony said that a white man, who he would not name, had
rented flats from him previously in Charing Cross Road, but he
kicked him out because he would not pay.

He told detectives he allowed women to stay on there at the
relatively cheap rate of pnds stlg 125 a week.

Anthony said he would pick up the money he was owed once
a week and agreed that he would sometimes give the prostitutes
lifts in his Mercedes.

When he was asked about his finances and what his profits
were he gave a ‘completely unrealistic’ account, said Mr
Munro-Kerr.

Anthony had claimed in interview that he got most of his
money from ‘playing and winning at casinos’ and a week before
his arrest he netted pnds stlg 1100 on a single evening.

He chose not to give evidence during the three day trial.

ends