AN UNDERCOVER visit by police led to the downfall of Stephen Kirby and Helen Coates' highly-profitable sex business.

The House of Elegance, on the Medway City Estate at Strood, and Reflections, in Upper Stone Street, Maidstone, were advertised locally and nationally, offering health club facilities, sauna and massage.

But, Maidstone Crown Court was told, the reality was that both premises operated as brothels.

Stephen Hellman, prosecuting, said the pair were arrested after undercover police officers made visits to both premises and were offered sexual services in return for cash or credit card payments.

Some of the women at the two venues were interviewed and confirmed that they were working as prostitutes at the premises. They kept half of their fees and the other half went to Kirby.

Kirby owned the House of Elegance and both he and Coates were involved in running Reflections.

When Kirby was interviewed he claimed he was the director of Hillington Site Services, which carried on the business at Rochester as a health club. He said he advertised the health club in national and sometimes local free ad papers.

Coates was interviewed and said she was a director of Reflections. She advertised sauna and massage services both locally and nationally. Initially, both defendants denied running a brothel. The House of Elegance operated for more than one-and-a-half years and Reflections for nine months until they were closed down last July.

Kirby was said to have benefited to the tune of £1,243,788 from running the business and Miss Coates, by £732,878. Their realisable assets, on the other hand, were said to be £190,000 in the case of Kirby and £102, 908 for Coates a total of £292,908 between them.

Judge Keith Simpson made an order in both cases that these assets should be confiscated, giving the couple 12 months to pay, or, in the case of Kirby, serving a prison sentence of 30 months in default and Coates, two years.

Bernard Tetlow, on behalf of Kirby, said he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Neither he nor Coates had any previous convictions. Kirby was jailed for six months concurrent for each of the two offences he had admitted, involving the two premises. In the case of Coates, the judge ordered her to carry out 240 hours community punishment.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Simpson said he took into consideration the pleas of guilty and in the case of Kirby, that he felt a measure of responsibility for his co-defendant.