Yanping Zhu brothel owner

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Madam who ran brothels across London told to repay £300,000

A brothel madam who controlled a UK-wide sex worker empire from an east London “call centre” has been ordered to give up more than £300,000 she earned from her crimes.

Yanping Zhu, 40, managed sex dens at addresses in Earl’s Court, Clapham, Poplar, Liverpool and Southampton. She used dozens of phones and advertised women online.

She disguised her illicit and “sophisticated” operation, which targeted men who wanted to exploit south-east Asian women for sex, as a company specialising in wedding and party dresses.

In total detectives uncovered 26 brothels, housing 40 prostitutes, which Zhu ran between April 2016 and October 2017.

They found phones “ringing and pinging” with messages from men when they first raided a New Cross flat in 2016.

The Chinese national threw 22 phones out of the window when police swooped, a court heard. Almost 50 were eventually recovered from the property with one containing 3,000 messages enquiring about sex services, which included French kissing for £10.

After the raid and while on bail, Zhu set up another call centre in Newham.

In June last year Zhu’s flat in Docklands was raided and detectives found dozens more phones plus online ad-verts featuring naked women and a price list of sexual services.

She denied knowledge of the prostitution ring despite a mobile receiving “customer enquiries” being found in her pocket, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

"Zhu set up what was in effect a call centre where customers would make enquiries about sex services"
CPS prosecutor Elaine Cousins
Her London brothels were in Warwick Road, Earl’s Court; St John’s Hill, Clapham; and Saltwell Street, Poplar.

Zhu was jailed for two years after admitting three counts of controlling prostitution for gain, three weeks into her trial at Snaresbrook crown court in February. 

Now, after a CPS investigation into her assets, she has been ordered to pay £303,700 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The confiscation hearing at Snaresbrook this month heard she amassed hundreds of thousands of pounds of jewellery, cash and equity in a home in Heron Place, Silvertown.

Senior CPS prosecutor Elaine Cousins said: “Zhu ran a sophisticated network of brothels across the country.

"She used websites for advertising and set up what was in effect a call centre where potential customers could make enquiries about sexual services.

"When police raided one call centre in New Cross, Zhu simply started another in Newham.

“This order means Zhu will not be able to benefit from the profits of her criminal activity.”

Zhu has three months to settle the confiscation order or will face a further two years in prison.

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[winkywanky]

Very clever girl, and very nasty. One call centre gets shut down during the investigation, and then she goes and opens another one? 

Bung her in jail, get the proceeds of her ill-gotten gains, and then deport the fuck out of her. Jeez...

[winkywanky]

...I hope she hasn't got any of your money, HP? 

[cunningman]

Very clever girl, and very nasty. One call centre gets shut down during the investigation, and then she goes and opens another one? 

Bung her in jail, get the proceeds of her ill-gotten gains, and then deport the fuck out of her. Jeez...

ummm ... Mei? Dave?
Because that's OK?

They don't seem to have done that woman for trafficing or slavery, so I'm not sure how low she is on the scale of things.  At least not from the links HP shared.

How about Dave, though?  (I suspect he just bought her on holiday, but who cares?  She seems happy enough from the reviews, and long may it continue.  Perhaps we secretly hope that Dave will get banged up and Mei will, well, get banged, having figured out how to get by with Google Translate, presumably)

[winkywanky]

ummm ... Mei? Dave?
Because that's OK?

They don't seem to have done that woman for trafficing or slavery, so I'm not sure how low she is on the scale of things.  At least not from the links HP shared.

How about Dave, though?  (I suspect he just bought her on holiday, but who cares?  She seems happy enough from the reviews, and long may it continue.  Perhaps we secretly hope that Dave will get banged up and Mei will, well, get banged, having figured out how to get by with Google Translate, presumably)

I hardly think one girl working in a flat (probably with the assistance of a British bloke) is suggestive of a nationwide sex-trafficking ring, do you?

And I have sensed no suggestion whatsoever, that Mei is disgusted with her life.

Who cares? Well I do, actually.

This is probably not the place to sit on your high horse though, is it?

[scutty brown]

And whenever I've pointed out there was a London based gang shipping girls out across the country I was told I was wrong....
perhaps people will start to believe now.
Interesting that we've not seen anyone in Preston from that gang since November last year -coincides with when she got arrested. Makes me think there's a good chance it was her girls and pimps

We've had another group try it more recently, but not that one

[cunningman]

I hardly think one girl working in a flat (probably with the assistance of a British bloke) is suggestive of a nationwide sex-trafficking ring, do you?

And I have sensed no suggestion whatsoever, that Mei is disgusted with her life.

Who cares? Well I do, actually.

This is probably not the place to sit on your high horse though, is it?

I'm not trying to be on my high horse - I though you were though.

Take a read back at what you wrote.  And what I wrote, because I have also picked up that Mei seems happy enough and still enjoying it - and I, also, care about that - and I tried to reflect that.  There was no sarcasm.  But we have to accept that there are pimps and website designers and minders and drivers and cleaners and maids.  And guys who buy wives.  Heck, I've looked at those web sites and wondered.  Some horror stories though.

That is why I made the point that the lady running the call centre, did not seem to be done for trafficking, just living on proceeds.  I would have hoped the Bill would have done her for the whole Modern Slavery book if they could.
I read what HP posted, and read through the links - but I did not search further.  But I did not see trafficking or slavery, which you suggest.  Do you know more?

[winkywanky]

I'm not trying to be on my high horse - I though you were though.

Take a read back at what you wrote.  And what I wrote, because I have also picked up that Mei seems happy enough and still enjoying it - and I, also, care about that - and I tried to reflect that.  There was no sarcasm.  But we have to accept that there are pimps and website designers and minders and drivers and cleaners and maids.  And guys who buy wives.  Heck, I've looked at those web sites and wondered.  Some horror stories though.

That is why I made the point that the lady running the call centre, did not seem to be done for trafficking, just living on proceeds.  I would have hoped the Bill would have done her for the whole Modern Slavery book if they could.
I read what HP posted, and read through the links - but I did not search further.  But I did not see trafficking or slavery, which you suggest.  Do you know more?

I think there can be very little doubt that bearing in mind the number of girls that woman controlled, many of them would've been trafficked. Running the call centre would've been pivotal to the whole operation. So don't accuse me of being on my high horse, any more than I'd accuse you of hypocrisy for seeing prossies who may not all be British.

[scutty brown]

they will have gone with the charges that were easiest and simplest to make stick. They found the phones, the bank records and the links to the Vivastreet profiles, thats enough to create a simple cast iron prosecution
She's got a jail term, after that they'll deport her - but they've got her cash, which is the biggest punishment.
Going down the slavery / trafficking route would have meant a more complicated prosecution involving possibly scared and reluctant witnesses - who are probably all back in China now. That would have increased costs for relatively little extra gain in terms of punishment.

[cunningman]

I think there can be very little doubt that bearing in mind the number of girls that woman controlled, many of them would've been trafficked. Running the call centre would've been pivotal to the whole operation. So don't accuse me of being on my high horse, any more than I'd accuse you of hypocrisy for seeing prossies who may not all be British.

I think trafficked and buying into a service are different things and so far it seems we don't know in this case.

There are lots of organisations managing calls and web sites and I'm sure that some of them also manage renting flats (because new indie girls from abroad without the cash for deposit and rent in advance can do that, right?  Especially in half way decent serviced flats) and helping with travel.  Its necessary, or they can't come.

Thin line between 'travel and accommodation enabler' and trafficker, admittedly.  I think it has to come down to how much choice the SP has, and I'm entirely happy to punt Poles and Hungarians - especially if they come and go and come back.  Of course, I don't know how much they owe the enablers, or whether there are threats, or whatever.  But I can tellyou that the milfs with Julie in East London toured Europe on a girly holiday last year, Italy and Spain and sun.  I like that.

[winkywanky]

they will have gone with the charges that were easiest and simplest to make stick. They found the phones, the bank records and the links to the Vivastreet profiles, thats enough to create a simple cast iron prosecution
She's got a jail term, after that they'll deport her - but they've got her cash, which is the biggest punishment.
Going down the slavery / trafficking route would have meant a more complicated prosecution involving possibly scared and reluctant witnesses - who are probably all back in China now. That would have increased costs for relatively little extra gain in terms of punishment.

Exactly Scutty, I think you're entirely right.

Personally making £100,000s out of a nationwide prostitution operation is rather different from a girl offering services in one flat. And the sheer cheek of her starting up a new operation during the police investigation of beggars belief. Wishing her to be jailed, stripped of her ill-gotten gains and then deported is not particularly at odds with seeing a Chinese girl in a flat who seems happy with what she's doing, to the point of gladly offering little extras (for no extra money).

Cunningham can't seem to see the difference (perhaps he thinks they're the same scenario because of the Chinese element?  )

[winkywanky]

I think trafficked and buying into a service are different things and so far it seems we don't know in this case.

There are lots of organisations managing calls and web sites and I'm sure that some of them also manage renting flats (because new indie girls from abroad without the cash for deposit and rent in advance can do that, right?  Especially in half way decent serviced flats) and helping with travel.  Its necessary, or they can't come.

Thin line between 'travel and accommodation enabler' and trafficker, admittedly.  I think it has to come down to how much choice the SP has, and I'm entirely happy to punt Poles and Hungarians - especially if they come and go and come back.  Of course, I don't know how much they owe the enablers, or whether there are threats, or whatever.  But I can tellyou that the milfs with Julie in East London toured Europe on a girly holiday last year, Italy and Spain and sun.  I like that.

Let's face it, none of us here actually know a girl's situation.

All we can do (speaking for myself) is be nice to them, expect a reasonable service, and look out for any obvious signs of why we shouldn't be there: unhappy girl, bad interaction, shitty surroundings, evidence of drug use etc.

Beyond that, we are buying sex off girls, and this is a site to enable that, of which you and I are members.

[Horizontal pleasures]

...I hope she hasn't got any of your money, HP? 

nope
never went near a place like that!

[scutty brown]

................Cunningham can't seem to see the difference (perhaps he thinks they're the same scenario because of the Chinese element?  )

I don't have the background to understand what he's wittering about, but its clear that its not relevant to the topic of this thread.
To me its clear that this case must have involved a degree of trafficking and coercion - and if I'm right in the identity of the gang involved it was a significant degree of  coercion.

[winkywanky]

nope
never went near a place like that!

HP, there's 'places' you go to that most of us never would! 

[scutty brown]

HP, there's 'places' you go to that most of us never would! 

and that's just the women....

[winkywanky]

...that was entirely my meaning   

[cunningman]

if I'm right in the identity of the gang involved it was a significant degree of  coercion.

So why wasn't she banged up much harder?

I'm thinking - how different is it to something like External Link/Members Only

Lots of punters are quite happy to go with that.  And the difference is - what?

I have no idea what the circumstances are and I suspect that neither you nor willywanky do either - you are making assumptions.  They are probably reasonable in a broad sense but
I would have expected Bill to go in much harder if there was any provable coercion.  Can you point to it in the facts we have though?  Any evidence at all beyond a broad network?

It does seem clear that there are organisations on the edge of trafficking who enable 'movement' and 'accommodation' and do so because the girls sign up and want it.  At least to start with - we've all seen them go off and go cold and then bugger off.  If we want to tar all of that with the same brush, then we'll have to write off anyone we don't think could have a decent traceable credit history.  Or a guarantor - and who would that be?

I'm not stupid.  Its not just an asian thing.  We all bang women with limited English and limited obvious wealth (aka credit rating / UK credit card) who would not be able to rent their premises on their own.  Its probably something in favour of new indie talent in Travelodge etc - all they need is enough cash to pay up front and enough nous to manage an AW page.  It probably does need a basic level of tech and (understood) English though, and some of them do seem dubious.

[scutty brown]

So why wasn't she banged up much harder?

see my post #9

I'm thinking - how different is it to something like External Link/Members Only
Lots of punters are quite happy to go with that.  And the difference is - what?

that looks like a parasite site reusing profiles from elsewhere, not a real agency
but who knows, maybe they are the next target?

I have no idea what the circumstances are and I suspect that neither you nor willywanky do either - you are making assumptions.  They are probably reasonable in a broad sense but
I would have expected Bill to go in much harder if there was any provable coercion.  Can you point to it in the facts we have though?  Any evidence at all beyond a broad network?

again, read my #9. The police are after a conviction, the easiest and cheapest the better so they can move onto the next case. They got a conviction, when she comes out she'll be deported back to China. Job done, no need to spend more time or money on her. Police resources are limited and the antitrafficking teams have a lot of targets pending.

It does seem clear that there are organisations on the edge of trafficking who enable 'movement' and 'accommodation' and do so because the girls sign up and want it.  At least to start with - we've all seen them go off and go cold and then bugger off.  If we want to tar all of that with the same brush, then we'll have to write off anyone we don't think could have a decent traceable credit history.  Or a guarantor - and who would that be?

I'm not stupid.  Its not just an asian thing.  We all bang women with limited English and limited obvious wealth (aka credit rating / UK credit card) who would not be able to rent their premises on their own.  Its probably something in favour of new indie talent in Travelodge etc - all they need is enough cash to pay up front and enough nous to manage an AW page.  It probably does need a basic level of tech and (understood) English though, and some of them do seem dubious.

Sorry, but you're missing the point here.
Whatever you may prefer to believe, a large proportion of Chinese girls working here are under duress of some kind. As an example I'm aware of one place closed recently after being raided: the girls were being flown in for two months or so under false pretences, on arrival were forced to work unpaid in a massage parlour. You may have read my report from last year of a girl who was intercepted at Heathrow by a pimp, helped to run up large gambling depts and then blackmailed to whore to pay the debt off - I suspect she was linked to this case.

[maxxblue]

And whenever I've pointed out there was a London based gang shipping girls out across the country I was told I was wrong....
perhaps people will start to believe now.
Interesting that we've not seen anyone in Preston from that gang since November last year -coincides with when she got arrested. Makes me think there's a good chance it was her girls and pimps

To me its clear that this case must have involved a degree of trafficking and coercion - and if I'm right in the identity of the gang involved it was a significant degree of  coercion.

To me its clear that this case must have involved a degree of trafficking and coercion - and if I'm right in the identity of the gang involved it was a significant degree of  coercion.

You are right, SB, that you have often talked about gangs running Chinese girls, and yes, you have been criticised on UKP for not substantiating your claims.

However, Yanping Zhu isn't a gang - she's an individual - as far as I can gather, there is no evidence in the public domain that any gangs were involved.

[paper7]

they will have gone with the charges that were easiest and simplest to make stick. They found the phones, the bank records and the links to the Vivastreet profiles, thats enough to create a simple cast iron prosecution
She's got a jail term, after that they'll deport her - but they've got her cash, which is the biggest punishment.
Going down the slavery / trafficking route would have meant a more complicated prosecution involving possibly scared and reluctant witnesses - who are probably all back in China now. That would have increased costs for relatively little extra gain in terms of punishment.

They may not have her cash because if she chooses not to pay it, she'll then get an extended sentence, with probable deportation at the end of it, and will have kept all the cash.

[Private Parts]

Can we take this seriously please. OP quotes £10 for French kissing!
Need clarity. Is that DFK? First date?
The people need to know

[snaitram99]

Who is she going to "repay" the 300k to?

And who is Dave?

[Stiltskin]

Who is she going to "repay" the 300k to?

And who is Dave?

Well it won't be us punters . That will go to the damn government and they'll waste it on some unecessary rubbish.

[fairfield]

I realize that the law says it is illegal to control prostitutes/run brothels - but i still think pimps and madams (no matter how undesirable) are an inevitable feature of punting. And as long as violence/coercion is not involved - imho the law should not get involved in how pro$$ies want to organise their business.

If this madam's operation involved neither of these things, then surely her pimping is only a matter of scale and i for one cannot condemn her for it. I am amazed that she managed to cope with such volumes in the first place.
And with so many Viva adverts, she was hardly a difficult target for our smug, holier than thou police force. "£10 for FK" - crime of the century! - off with her head, DFK should always be included.

[Thecunninglinguist]

I think she may well be doing the extra two years. The Triad gang who have the final control of the cash won't be giving it up to get her out of jail!

[magnetico]

I'm thinking - how different is it to something like External Link/Members Only

My thoughts exactly.

Let's not forget that a few months ago House of Divine was showcased on the BBC by Victoria Derbyshire!

What's the difference?