Barwell man jailed

It's after he admitted exploiting women.

A Barwell man who lured a Latvian woman into the United Kingdom and coerced her into prostitution has been jailed.

53 year old Andrew Newton, 53, of Shilton Road, pleaded guilty to four counts of inciting and controlling prostitution for gain, when he appeared at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday 22nd January.

Newton appeared at the same court on Friday 22nd January where he was sentenced to five-and-a-half years imprisonment.

Leicestershire police have said the victim was only 18 years old when she first met Newton after answering a job advertisement offering work in the UK in 2010.

Newton met the teenager in Latvia, and made arrangements for her to travel to England a month later. He met her at East Midlands Airport, and took her to a flat in Hinckley where he forced her to remove her clothes and took photos of her before making her sign a contract.

Over a period of months, Newton arranged for men to come to the flat where the victim was expected to have sex with them.

Feeling threatened by Newton, she was too afraid of his controlling behaviour to refuse.

He gave her very little money which left her feeling trapped and dependent upon him.

In 2016, she approached police, reporting what had happened and an investigation was launched.

From enquiries carried out, officers identified a further victim who had also come to the UK from Latvia.

This victim, who was also 18 years old when the offences occurred, told officers how she had met Newton, in Hinckley. He took her to an address where he had sex with her before coercing her into prostitution.

Detective Constable Jo Ranson investigated the incident. She said: “This was a lengthy and complex investigation with a number of enquiries having to be made overseas.

“Newton took advantage of these women who answered a job advert, in good faith, believing they had a chance to earn a living in the UK.

“I really must commend the victims on their bravery in coming forward and reporting what happened to them, and for the way they have conducted themselves throughout all of our enquiries.

“I hope today’s outcome will help the victims to come to terms with what they were subjected to and that they can finally begin to move forward with their lives.”