Essex Family Jailed For Exploiting Women For Prostitution

A family outfit who made hundreds of thousands of pounds by exploiting women for prostitution have been jailed for a total of three and a half years.

Clyde Standing, 68, his wife Lyubov, 32, and Clyde's 42-year-old son James were sentenced yesterday at Croydon Crown Court after setting up and running three 'saunas' which were in fact a front for prostitution.

The group from Essex also ran a fourth unconcealed brothel out of a residential flat above shop premises.

The east London venues were open 24 hours a day and exclusively employed women from Eastern Europe, predominantly of Romanian nationality. A total of 17 women were found at the premises and subsequently referred to victim reception centres. Throughout the course of their "employment" they were expected to work 24-hour shifts, with their time often divided between two of the venues.

Inquiries revealed that either father or son would attend each of the 'cash only' premises on a daily basis to collect their share of the takings.

Correspondence relating to all four premises was recovered, which detailed the amounts of money taken. It was discovered that on average the family were profiting by around £16,000 a week.

The three were sentenced for conspiracy to control prostitution.

Clyde Standing, 68, was given 18 months imprisonment. Lyubov Stending, 32, and James Standing, 42, were both given 12 months imprisonment.

DS John O'Brien, of the MPS Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Unit, said: "These individuals exploited vulnerable women for their own profit; spending their ill-gotten gains on expensive holidays and lavish items.

"The court result is a testament of our commitment to pursue those involved in this type of abhorrent crime and hold them accountable for their actions."

(BMcN/GK)