May 20, 2019 10.46 am This story is over 57 months old

Men who ran nine brothels ordered to repay £250k

The pair were each given Confiscation Orders

Two men who ran nine brothels in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire have been ordered to repay over £250,000 after they ‘ruined lives in order to bankroll their own’.

An investigation by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) previously found that Meyrick Bramhill-Purchase and Mo Quan Zhou had conspired to traffic women from Asia into nine brothels in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

In May 2018 Bramhill-Purchase and Zhou were jailed for a total of ten years for running brothels in Lincoln (5), Derby (2) and Chesterfield (2).

In these premises a number of Chinese and Malaysian women were being trafficked around the country on a weekly basis.

Zhou was jailed for five-and-a-half years and Bramhill-Purchase was jailed for four-and-a-half years. They were also each given 10-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders (STPOs).

A subsequent investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, by a Financial Investigator at Derbyshire Constabulary, established that the pair had benefitted by £251,102.

The pair were each given Confiscation Orders at Derby Crown Court on Friday, May 17.

Zhou, 46, formerly of London Road in Derby, was found to have benefitted by £133,102. He must begin by paying £2,306 in available funds.

Bramhill-Purchase, 65, formally of Muntjac Way in Witham St Hughs, was found to have benefitted by £118,000. He must begin by paying £10,496 in available funds.

The two men have three months to do so or they face further time in jail.

DI Rich Monk said: “Zhou and Bramhill-Purchase exploited tens of dozens of women over a six-year period – ruining lives in order to bankroll their own.

“Along with jail terms, and further monitoring through STPOs, this latest order ensures that they not only pay their debt to society with their freedom, but also with any proceeds they may have made from their crimes.”