Edinburgh brothel woman is sentenced

A woman who was running a brothel from an Edinburgh flat has been put on a Restriction of Liberty Order for six months and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Elena Isaila, 33, was sending the profits to her home country of Romania.

She pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier to being involved in the management of a brothel in Gorgie Road between January and March 2016.

She also admitted transferring sums of money outwith the United Kingdom.

Sentence had been deferred until Wednesday for reports.

List of customers

Sheriff Thomas Welsh had been told that in March 2016, police went to the house to investigate reports it was being used in the sex trade.

They found exotic costumes, adverts for prostitution and lists of customers.

Isaila admitted she was working as a prostitute and had sent £13,850 back to family in Romania to pay for the upkeep of her daughter.

Her partner, 41-year-old Ionel Tudorescu, who admitted having a CS gas canister in the house, told police he did not know it was illegal in this country.

Defence solicitor Stuart Carson told Sheriff Welsh that Isaila had a 17-month-old son and her 13-year-old daughter had now joined her in Scotland.

Simon Collins, appearing for Tudorescu, said the gas canister had been among his belongings when he came over from Romania, and was found in a bag.

Neither of the accused had any previous convictions.

Sheriff Welsh placed Isaila on a Restriction of Liberty Order to stay in her house between 19:00 and 07:00 for the next six months and to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work in nine months.

Tudorescu was ordered to be in the house between 21:00 and 07:00 for four months and to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work also in nine months.