Milton Keynes woman jailed after making £24,000 in four months running brothels

Christina Motta, 35, pleaded guilty and was sentenced top 18 months after a judge heard she and her partner made £24,000 in just four months.

The court heard she and 42-year-old Martin Cheetham were a couple who ran brothels in Bristol, Oxford and Milton Keynes between November 2015 and April 2016.

The pair pleaded guilty to controlling prostitution for gain in relation to a Bristol woman, for whom they created and maintained online escort adverts and arranged for travel between brothels.

Once identified, the woman was moved to safe accommodation outside via the Salvation Army’s Modern Slavery Team.

She was one of two women who were passed on to the National Referral Mechanism, a system which helps protect victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Cheetham and Motta appeared at Bristol Crown Court, where Cheetham received a 12 month sentence.

Detective Constable Dale Morgan said: “Cheetham and Motta deliberately took advantage of this vulnerable women working in their brothels, making more than £24,000 in four months.

“It is unacceptable they should benefit from their activities and we will seek to confiscate their illegal earnings through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“It took immense courage for the victim to support our inquiry and I hope these sentences will give other victims of controlled prostitution and modern slavery the strength and belief to come forward.”