Swindon brothel boss told to pay £1
5:18pm Monday 19th May 2008
A brothel boss who made thousands running a number of houses of ill repute has been ordered to pay £1.
Sean Court was told he would have to serve a further seven days on top of a two jail year if he doesn't cough up the nominal amount.
But should the 29-year-old come into money during the next six years he will have to pay almost £25,000 as the proceeds from his crime.
Judge Charles Wade, sitting at Swindon crown court, found that Court benefited to the tune of £24,514.96p.
But as he had no assets and is in custody serving his sentence he ruled he must repay just one pound.
However as the ruling has been made under the Proceeds of Crime Act prosecutors have six years during which they can return to get the rest of the benefit figure.
That means should Court, of County Road, obtain the cash either through earnings or any other way like winning the lottery they can reopen the case.
Court was arrested after police raided a number of brothels including one on Queen's Road, Swindon, where Oriental girls had been trafficked.
Although he wasn't at the property when police stormed in on Thursday November 29 last year there was plenty of evidence connecting him to it.
He was also involved in running two more in Oxford and was only caught after a high speed chase through the city centre where he crashed his Range Rover.