A HOUSE was used as a brothel bringing misery to local residents, a court was told.

The owner and landlord licence holder of the house in Ridley Gardens, Swalwell was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £400 in costs after a prosecution by Gateshead Council.

In August last year a local resident complained to the council’s private sector housing team that the house was being used as a brothel. The police were called and found that the property was set up for sex work. Several women were in the house when the police checked the premises.

The prosecution was brought after landlord Paul Hughes failed to comply with the conditions of his landlord licence.

When interviewed by the council under caution in October, Hughes said that it was obvious that he had been provided with a false reference by the tenant and that he had been ‘duped’ in to offering her the property.

Hughes admitted that he had failed to properly complete his copy of the tenancy agreement, failed to carry out checks on the smoke alarms in the property and failed to provide an inventory of the items in the property. He pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the conditions of a licence issued under the Selective Licensing Scheme for the property.

He was found not guilty of knowingly allowing the house to be used as a brothel.