A violent pimp’s year-long ‘reign of terror’ ende

A violent pimp’s year-long ‘reign of terror’ ended with a 10
year jail term at the Old Bailey on Friday.

Paul Francis, 28, acted with an iron fist to keep his 34-year-old
victim on the streets, took the lion’s share of her earnings and kept
her in line with regular beatings
His cruel sway only ended when he subjected the woman to a shocking
Christmas day attack which spanned six hours and landed her in a
hospital casualty ward.

The judge said the ‘sustained and vicious’ beating was judged
‘second only to murder in law and must attract a long prison term.

‘
Francis, who was also convicted of introducing an 18-year-old into
the seedy world of prostitution and taking most of her earnings too,
did not react as the sentence was announced.

The court had heard how he had drawn the dole in a DSS-funded hotel
in Gloucester Terrace, Bayswater, while raking in cash from his vice
kingdom on the nearby streets.

Francis’ first victim was an experienced hooker who was terrorised
into submission with threats and violence.

The jury had heard of a string of less serious but still terrifying
assaults which he subjected her to in the months leading up to the
Christmas day beating.

His share of her earnings was augmented by the teenager’s, who also
handed on the majority of her income to him after he enticed her into
becoming a vice girl, said Mr Simon Pratt, prosecuting.

Francis did not give evidence.

He was convicted of living off the older woman’s earnings as a
prostitute, causing her grievous bodily harm with intent and also
assaulting her three times, once causing her bodily harm.

Francis was cleared of inflicting grievous bodily harm for
fractures she suffered after jumping out of a window – she claimed it
was to escape one of his beatings.

He was further convicted of living off the teenage hooker’s
earnings but cleared of serious sexual allegations against both women.

Judge Michael Coombe QC told Francis: ‘Anyone who listened to the
facts of this case would have found it squalid and really quite
frightening.

‘It is plain to me and the jury that she was in terror of you.

‘You have to face sentence for the most serious charge short of
homocide that exists in the law.

‘The Christmas day attack was a sustained and vicious period of
beating that caused ghastly injuries.

‘You told the police she fell down the stairs.

The jury rejected
that lie.

‘The younger girl said in evidence that she was introduced to
prostitution by you.

That makes it very much graver.

‘
Francis did not react as he was jailed for a total of three years
for living off immoral earnings and seven years in total for the
assaults.

The judge ordered the sentences to run consecutively, making 10
years in all.

ENDS