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Three to be sentenced over brothels in Tunbridge Wells where women found in cheerleader outfits

Three people will be sentenced later this week after police raids on brothels in Kent.

It follows a swoop on a flat in Tunbridge Wells when officers discovered a scantily-clad woman in a cheerleader's outfit and with £1,000 cash.

Now a jury has found Shuangyan Hu, 37, guilty of keeping a brothel and laundering the cash proceeds.

The suspected brothel was in Rock Villa Road in Tunbridge Wells. Picture: Google Street View (12572345)
The suspected brothel was in Rock Villa Road in Tunbridge Wells. Picture: Google Street View (12572345)

Two others, Yali Geng, 20, and Pikwa Wong , 27, were both acquitted of being part of the sex conspiracy.

Maidstone Crown Court has been told that an organised crime gang of Chinese nationals were behind a network of brothels operating across south east England.

Properties were rented in London, Essex and Kent using fake identities and by people falsely claiming to be employed by telecommunications company Huawei.

Young women, themselves often Chinese and advertised as "high quality", were then put to work in the brothels, referred to by those involved as "shops".

The organised crime group was said to have "a large number of sex workers" at its disposal and there was a frequent changeover of women.

Brothels were located in Tunbridge Wells, one in nearby Tonbridge, another in Brentwood in Essex and others in Surrey and various parts of London.

Three of the houses were in a flat at The Depository in Rock Villa Road, Tunbridge Wells, and nearby properties in Lime Hill Road and Dudley Road.

Prosecutor Alan Gardner told how police found "a wealth of documentation" at the property in St Kilda's Road, including records of girls' names, customers, and rates charged of £60 to £70 for a half-hour sex session, or £100 to £120 for a full hour.

Also at the property were 17 mobile phones and £8,000 cash, also said to be linked to the operation.

The court heard much of their phone communication was via an app similar to WhatsApp called WeChat.

Maidstone Crown Court
Maidstone Crown Court

He added that a Harrow man called Dongning Zhang - also known as Leo - was running the brothels assisted by his partner, Hu which was "a call centre for the operation".

The court heard that a second man, Kai Shao , 63, from Millwall, east London, had earlier pleaded guilty to being involved in the operation.

He was responsible for acting as housekeeper, receptionist, security guard and "babysitter" for the prostitutes at two brothels in Tunbridge Wells.

Zhang, Shao and Hu will be sentenced on Friday.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Tunbridge Wells

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