Southampton madam must repay her wages of sin (From Daily Echo)
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Southampton madam must repay her wages of sin
2:50pm Friday 12th December 2008 in
A MADAM who ran one of Southampton’s biggest prostitution rings made £750,000, the Daily Echo can reveal.
Now Sharon Moir, 47, has to pay the price – she must sell two houses and a flat – or face another three years behind bars.
Ironically she is due to be released from prison within days after serving a three-year term after being convicted of running a brothel and inciting and controlling prostitutes for personal gain.
She was caught after a police officer posed as a would-be prostitute in an undercover operation and Moir candidly told her how to work as a vice girl.
Moir was convicted following a trial at Southampton Crown Court that revealed she had up to 12 girls working every day at a flat near the city’s waterfront.
Yesterday she appeared at the same court where she faced a hearing into how much she had profited from her lucrative trade.
Prosecutors sought a sum of £754,457, based on the value of the value of her home in Sholing Road – from where she operated her escort agency called Panache – the flat in Queens Terrace, a house she had purchased in Tangmere, West Sussex, and a £16,000 sports car Moir defiantly argued that only up to ten per cent of the cash related to the brothel earnings. She claimed some of the money was the proceeds from her son’s Internet gambling.
However, Judge Tim Milligan ruled that all but a few thousand pounds was “tainted” and she had benefited by £729,227.2p.
“We’ll forget about the tuppence,” prosecutor Stephen Parish told the court.
Moir was ordered to pay £145,438 within six months or go to prison for three years.
Defence lawyer Zoe Van Der Bosch said that would mean she would have to sell three properties. She will be held liable for the remainder of the order if she comes into money at any time in her life.
Guilty Moir was found guilty in June of last year of three counts of keeping a brothel, one of inciting prostitution for gain and one count of controlling prostitution for gain.
It was estimated that Moir had used at least 350 women over some five years.
When police raided her property in Sholing Road, in April, they discovered thousands of pounds along with books detailing the agency’s dealings, the names of sex for sale girls and condoms. A pre-sentence report found that she was evasive and lacking in remorse.
Moir appealed against the sentence last December on the grounds that three years’ imprisonment was “manifestly excessive” as the sex was consensual. But the Appeal Court judges ordered the sentence to stand.
Comments(32)
10 Minute Man
says...
11:26am Fri 12 Dec 08
Boris Remmington
says...
11:30am Fri 12 Dec 08
Sharon and Derby Road are about the only things that have any "WOW" factor for the attraction of visitors to Southampton.
Hazle Nutt
says...
11:30am Fri 12 Dec 08
(Security word: feel-more)
Miles Sway
says...
11:59am Fri 12 Dec 08
Keeping it illegal fails miserably and people like this will continue to make huge money exploiting vulnerable girls etc - legalisation will at least take it away from pimps and make it safe, controlled and taxable!
10 Minute Man
says...
12:01pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Miles Sway wrote:The obvious way is to make it illegal to pay for sex or attempt to procure it. Rather than just being illegal to sell it.c
Time to accept reality - like it or not the only way to stop pimps/madams is to legalise prostitution.
Keeping it illegal fails miserably and people like this will continue to make huge money exploiting vulnerable girls etc - legalisation will at least take it away from pimps and make it safe, controlled and taxable!
Ocean Village resident
says...
12:04pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Miles Sway
says...
12:07pm Fri 12 Dec 08
10 Minute Man wrote:I understand it already is
Miles Sway wrote: Time to accept reality - like it or not the only way to stop pimps/madams is to legalise prostitution. Keeping it illegal fails miserably and people like this will continue to make huge money exploiting vulnerable girls etc - legalisation will at least take it away from pimps and make it safe, controlled and taxable!The obvious way is to make it illegal to pay for sex or attempt to procure it. Rather than just being illegal to sell it.c
hulla baloo
says...
12:33pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Is a supply and demand service and as long as two people consent, no proble,
It should be legalised,regulated and licensed, then taxable(be interesting to see condoms. vibrators, whips etc on the tax returns under expenses)and will, or should also eliminate the sex trade trafficking.
hulla baloo
says...
12:34pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Why does this not happen in the majority of other cases?
yummy_mummy
says...
12:37pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Security word - that-long.... hehe!
Northamboy
says...
12:39pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Put it in the corner of an idustrial estate which is away from peoples homes.
Sorted ;-)
emdee
says...
12:40pm Fri 12 Dec 08
hulla baloo wrote:I believe it was selling her and her girls 'assets' that got into this trouble in the first place?
Interesting to see the judge has ordered her to sell off her assets. Why does this not happen in the majority of other cases?
lowe and behold
says...
1:23pm Fri 12 Dec 08
yummy_mummy wrote:Aka Vera Duckworth....
Wasn't she in Coronation Street years ago? Security word - that-long.... hehe!
Iain
says...
1:34pm Fri 12 Dec 08
goard
says...
1:51pm Fri 12 Dec 08
goard
obelisker
says...
2:22pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Andy Locks Heath
says...
2:49pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Shoong
says...
3:03pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Why do I always find out about these things after they get shut down??!!!
Georgem
says...
4:21pm Fri 12 Dec 08
10 Minute Man wrote:She wasn't working herself, so, yeh
£750K ? With that face?
Georgem
says...
4:30pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Miles Sway wrote:It isn't. There's nothing illegal about paying for sex. The procurement, yes. The sale itself, no.
10 Minute Man wrote:I understand it already is
Miles Sway wrote: Time to accept reality - like it or not the only way to stop pimps/madams is to legalise prostitution. Keeping it illegal fails miserably and people like this will continue to make huge money exploiting vulnerable girls etc - legalisation will at least take it away from pimps and make it safe, controlled and taxable!The obvious way is to make it illegal to pay for sex or attempt to procure it. Rather than just being illegal to sell it.c
Making it illegal, or more illegal, doesn't work anyway. Endless legislation is often a way to appear to be tackling a problem, without having to actually think about it at all
Georgem
says...
4:32pm Fri 12 Dec 08
goard wrote:You have a very narrow view of the world. Not all punters are sad, lonely, inadequate men (and, no, I've never used a prostitute) and not all prostitutes are empty human beings
It is the only 'trade' the prostitute can turn to and become a madam. what down and outs they are and what inadequate men are turning to. Sadly, they have no complete lives - they give nothing to their families and they receive nothing from them - they are sad beings.
goard
Georgem
says...
4:34pm Fri 12 Dec 08
hulla baloo wrote:It hasn't eliminated sex trafficking in the Netherlands, or other parts of Europe. Any reason it would work here? I still agree, though, that it should be regulated and licenced
I fail to see what the problem is with is with prostitution.
Is a supply and demand service and as long as two people consent, no proble,
It should be legalised,regulated and licensed, then taxable(be interesting to see condoms. vibrators, whips etc on the tax returns under expenses)and will, or should also eliminate the sex trade trafficking.
sausage monkey
says...
5:14pm Fri 12 Dec 08
pw=east-deny
The Grey Mystery
says...
5:41pm Fri 12 Dec 08
obelisker
says...
5:47pm Fri 12 Dec 08
The Grey Mystery wrote:Wooo! you are scary, are you mates with Peter Sutcliffe and Steven Wright?
its a lot cheaper for men than getting married, all women sell their bodies for money, how many rich men have been caught out by these evil beings ,i have a passion and i hate them with it.
Snowman
says...
6:07pm Fri 12 Dec 08
Miles Sway
says...
6:09pm Fri 12 Dec 08
sausage monkey wrote:Is "blowing their paycheques" a euphemism for a service offered?
If you made it legal, too many brothels would pop-up all of a sudden, and all these men would flock to them blowing their paycheques. pw=east-deny
On your point though I disagree - making it legal isn't going to suddenly produce a desire that wasn't there before.
And grey mystery - I hope you're trolling, if not seek help
ex so'ton
says...
7:56pm Fri 12 Dec 08
sausage monkey
says...
9:09pm Fri 12 Dec 08
sw=grow-hear
Big Boy
says...
5:11am Sat 13 Dec 08
SW save-rich :-)
nosy parker
says...
12:43pm Sat 13 Dec 08
thesouth
says...
3:46pm Sun 14 Dec 08
Northamboy wrote:it is...its called empress road.
Legalise it. Put it in the corner of an idustrial estate which is away from peoples homes. Sorted ;-)
empress rd is rife at the moment, if it was legal it would be manic and many wives of men who go down there would end up with STIs and all sorts....im sure if you found out someone you knew well was going down there who was a family man you wouldnt want it to be legal
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