by Keith Hunt

A Herne Bay husband and wife and another man are facing sentence after being convicted of running a string of brothels.

Dennis Williams and Geoffrey Newman and his wife, Ling, controlled Oriental call girls over a 30-month period.

Newman used his job as a mini-cab driver as useful cover for shuttling call girls to home visits and his wife's bank account was used to transfer the proceeds of their operation to Hong Kong.

Maidstone Crown Court was told that the brothels operated from Herne Bay, Margate, Ramsgate and Sittingbourne between May 2005 and December 2007.

Allister Walker, prosecuting, said more than £70,000 was spent on newspaper advertising.

Undercover police officers called at the various addresses posing as customers.

Officers were wired to tape conversations. They asked for a massage and then “made their excuses and left”.

“It is impossible to say how many prostitutes worked at the premises,” said the prosecutor. “Being a cash trade, it was impossible to say how much money was made.”

Mr Walker said the enterprise belonged to 54-year-old Williams and he ran it with the help of the Newmans.

“He bore the financial responsibility for the properties that were crucial to the plan, owning one and guaranteeing rent on others,” he said.

“He paid for the advertising in local newspapers in cash. He used his car to move working women to and from addresses.”

Geoffrey Newman, 54, was a driver in Margate. His wife, 43, worked at brothels and assisted in their management and day-to-day running. Her bank accounts were used to receive money and transfer it to Hong Kong.

Williams, of Ethelbert Road, Margate, and the Newmans, of Richmond Road, Herne Bay, denied conspiracy to control prostitutes for gain but were convicted.

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC adjourned sentence until October 13. He granted all three bail but said custody was inevitable.