Puriton sex trafficker jailed (From This is The West Country)

Puriton sex trafficker jailed

6:10pm Thursday 27th May 2010 in Somerset By Court reporter

A PURITON man who brought two Thai prostitutes to Somerset to work in the sex trade has been jailed for two years.

Father-of-two Andrew Wallace brought the women, neither of whom could speak English, into the UK, helped them apply for visas, then advertised their services on his website.

Taunton Crown Court heard on Tuesday how Wallace, 36, set up liaisons for the women and split the proceeds with the pair, who were given accommodation in Weston.

Laurence Wilcox, defending, told the court neither women was coerced into the UK, and both were established prostitutes who came “on their own volition”.

He also said that, when interviewed, both women said that Wallace had treated them well.

Judge Graham Hume Jones told Wallace: “You and everyone else must understand that trafficking is regarded very seriously and is a serious offence under the Criminal Justice Act.”

He added: “The aggravating feature of this case is that there were two women, but a number of mitigating features were that they were in their mid 20s, wanted to come to this country and were already working as prostitutes.”

Wilcox, who pleaded guilty to two counts of arranging or facilitating the arrival into the UK of a person for sexual exploitation and two further counts of causing or inciting prostitution for gain, was jailed for two years, but has already spent five-and-a-half months in custody.