Pair convicted for operating Portsmouth brothel
An organised crime group who operated a brothel out of an address in Portsmouth, have been convicted.
Moon Swee How, 58, of Portsmouth, was described as the boss of the operation, and arranged the rental of the property through a third party.
How, who went by the alias Steven Hon, worked in conjunction with Xiao Xia Yang, 60, of Belfast.
Together they paid rent to the property, placed adverts on websites and arranged for women to work there.
The brothel was staffed by sex workers and “nannies”. These nannies would accompany the women to “outcalls” and meet with customers.
How and Yang also arranged for an employee to answer the phone, arrange bookings and direct customers to the address.
Andrew Eddy of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “How and Yang ran a sophisticated operation, employing dozens of unprotected workers and risking their safety all for selfish personal gain.
“Their convictions send a clear message that exploiting vulnerable people for profit will not be tolerated.
“I would like to thank the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit investigators for their invaluable diligence and commitment to this case.
“The CPS is committed to working with law enforcement to ensure that those who engage in serious criminal activities are brought to justice.”
Prosecutors worked with SEROCU to build the case using complex strands of evidence.
This included observations of the property, records of the worker’s movements between hotels and the property; message and phone records arranging appointments; photos taken of online adverts and messages between How and Yang discussing wages and the rent.
The pair were convicted after a five-week trial.
Notes to editors
- Moon Swee How (DOB: 05/11/1965) was convicted of conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and conspiracy to control prostitution for gain on 10 October 2024.
- Xiao Xia Yang (DOB: 21/11/1963) was convicted of conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and conspiracy to control prostitution for gain on 10 October 2024.
- The jury were unable to reach a verdict regarding a third defendant. On 16 October 2024 a decision was made not to seek a retrial in relation to this defendant.
- Andrew Eddy is a Senior Crown Prosecutor within CPS Wessex’s Complex Casework Unit.