Woman forced into sex work flagged down police at Hull station after escaping from city brothel

A young woman who was kept "prisoner" and forced into sex work with "no freedom at all" eventually fled and flagged down police to help her escape.The woman at first agreed to work in the sex industry to make money but, even though she was earning up to £1,000 a day, she had to hand it all over and was paid only £100 to send back to her family by the man who controlled her, Hull Crown Court heard.

Gheorge Bonculescu, 27, and his sister-in-law, Elena Birovescu, also 27, were both originally charged with arranging or facilitating the travel of a woman with a view to exploiting her in Hull, but that charge was dropped.Bonculescu admitted controlling or causing prostitution for gain and Birovescu admitted a money laundering offence of acquiring criminal property.

The victim claimed that Bonculescu, of Warmsworth Road, Balby, near Doncaster, had threatened her that, if he went to prison, he would kill her and others when he got out.

The court heard that the Romanian national hoped to stay in this country after his release from prison and to go back to selling cars, which was his primary interest.

He was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Birovescu, of the same address, was given a six-month suspended prison sentence, with no requirements.

Michele Stuart-Lofthouse, prosecuting, said that a woman approached British Transport Police at Hull Paragon station in 2022 and said that she had just escaped from a brothel in the city.

She claimed that she had been trafficked and had been forced into prostitution.

She claimed that Bonculescu sometimes threatened to hit her when she did not want to do something or when she challenged him.Birovescu helped Bonculescu, mainly by paying cash into her bank account to transfer to him. Bonculescu, his wife and Birovescu were later found inside a car in Hull city centre after apparently going out to look for the escaped woman. The wife had the woman's passport, and all three were arrested.The woman told police that she left her home country and went through Spain where she came into contact with Bonculescu's wife, who worked in the sex industry in the UK.

She earned between £500 and £1,000 a day but she claimed that she received only £100 to send home."She didn't see any of the money," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse. "She would have to pay for advertisements and accommodation in relation to the work."

The woman was given money for food, cocaine and clothes for the sex work.

"She listened to him usually and did what he wanted, although she feared him," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse. "She decided to run away."It was at that point that she approached the police at Hull station.

It was discovered that Birovescu had a total of £5,000 transferred into her account from the woman's sexual service activities, though she claimed that she did not know the money was from sex work.She told the court: "I thought that the money was coming from [Bonculescu's] work.

"I knew he had a car business, selling cars. I know that he has a company on his name."

Judge Mark Bury said he did not believe her account.

He said she had "lied in the witness box" and that it was "inconceivable" and "nonsensical" to say that she did not know the source of the money, especially as she must have known what was going on and knew why the woman was missing and what she was doing in Hull.

Nick Peacock, mitigating, said that Bonculescu hoped to stay in this country after his release from prison and to go back to selling cars, which was his primary interest. Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, representing Birovescu, said that money entered the defendant's bank account, sometimes paid in by her and sometimes by others, and that she now accepted that the money came from prostitution.

Judge Bury said of the victim: "She had no freedom of movement. She had no financial independence. She was, in the end, coerced into seeing many customers."He told Bonculescu: "You wouldn't let her leave. She was intimidated into doing that which you asked her to do. She was essentially forced into working for you."You had no right to be in the UK doing this. You are a Romanian national with no leave to remain.

"You may be deported either during or at the end of your sentence. The court has no view about whether that should happen or not but, if I were you, I would expect it to happen."

Judge Bury said the victim was now "hoping to obtain permanent status" in the UK and "put this sorry set of circumstances" behind her.

Det Sgt Richard Kirk of Humberside Police said after a previous hearing: "Bonculescu and Birovescu are predators who manipulated a vulnerable woman, and used her for their own financial gain."I would like to commend the woman for the bravery she has shown throughout the course of this investigation, and I hope she takes some comfort in knowing that they have been remanded and can no longer cause harm to anyone else.

"We take all reports of sexual exploitation incredibly seriously and the hard work of all the officers involved in this case is testament to this."

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