Widnes brothel owner jailed
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A brothel owner has been sentenced after he controlled the prostitution of women in Widnes.
Lewis Loftus used mobile phone messaging applications to recruit women and then advertised their sexual services to men.
The 30-year-old would then arrange for the women to travel to his property on Margaret Court, Widnes.
Under the guise of a woman, Loftus would virtually arrange for men to attend the brothel and engage in sexual activity with the women.
The men would then transfer the money to Loftus’ bank account.
Between 24 February 2022 and 29 October 2023, Loftus shared 240 adverts on escort websites of the women he had recruited.
Loftus was sentenced to 27 months at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday 19 June, after pleading guilty to controlling prostitution for gain.
The court heard how officers became aware of Loftus following a call to police on 28 May 2022.
The caller reported that she had fallen victim to Loftus’ abuse, and that he had arranged for men to have sex with her.
An investigation was launched, and Loftus was arrested a day later.
His phone was seized by police which uncovered messages evidencing Loftus’ involvement in the sexual exploitation of women.
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Detective Constable Gary Pindar said: “Loftus took advantage of vulnerable women for his own financial gain.
“He wasn’t at all concerned with whether the women were unsafe, or whether he had put them in harm’s way. His priority was earning a profit.
“This result reinforces our commitment to tackling prostitution and protecting those who are cruelly exploited by this crime.
“Our work will continue 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 via the website, by calling 101, or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.