Man Who Ran Brothel in Fulham Convicted of String of Offences
Property on Clonmel Road among five where Archer exploited vulnerable women
David Archer, 53 of Northumberland Avenue, Wanstead is awaiting sentencing at Snaresbrook Crown Court after pleading guilty to the following offences:
- One count of conspiracy to control prostitution for gain;
- Two counts of human trafficking, contrary to section 2 Modern Slavery Act 2015;
- Possession of an Identity Document with improper intention;
- One count of concealing criminal property.
On Monday, 27 March, Archer was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault following a four-week trial.
Archer's accomplices Emma Cox, pictured above, 41, of New Timber Avenue, Worthing and Zobia Taqi, pictures below, 29 of High Road, Ilford, both admitted to conspiracy to control prostitution for gain on Friday, 10 February.
All three will be sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court the same court on a date to be confirmed.
Detective Sergeant John Kirby, of the Met's Sexual Offences Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: "Archer exploited vulnerable women to build his lucrative empire in the sex industry over a number of years. The vulnerability of the women and his position of strength created an imbalance which he exploited again and again - financially, emotionally, and in some cases sexually.
"He advertised the brothels as women-run business and once he lured the women, they were instructed to pose for explicit photos, and in some cases forced to engage in sexual activity.
"Once under his control, he transported the women between his venues to maximise his profit."
Police were first contacted in January 2016 by one of the victims, a sex worker, who was concerned for the safety of another woman locked inside a bedroom at Archer's Northumberland Avenue address.
Officers attended and found a young woman trapped inside one of the rooms. They also found evidence that the premises was being used as a brothel. Officers seized mobile phones, cameras, and laptops following a search of the property.
Whilst officers were conducting the search, Archer arrived at the property and he was arrested on suspicion of controlling prostitution for gain.
Detectives from Newham Borough launched an investigation and quickly established that Archer owned three other properties; two properties in Romford Road, Forest Gate - a house and a hotel; and a hotel in Barking Road, Plaistow.
He was also renting a property on Clonmel Road, which is off Fulham Road close to Fulham Library and Parsons Green Station.
These properties were searched following Archer's arrest and there was clear evidence that they were operating as brothels.
Archer advertised rooms in these properties for sex workers to operate from and he often charged an inflated rate for room rental, or took a significant percentage of the income generated by prostitution. He also trafficked woman into the United Kingdom to work as prostitutes.
In many cases, he himself took sexually explicit pictures of the women to be used on profiles on adult websites advertising their services. Archer had complete control of many of the profiles, many of which were advertised through an adult website called 'Adultwork'.
During the investigations, a number of victims came forward to report that Archer sexually assaulted them when he took photographs of them.
It was revealed that Archer had assets totaling nearly £16 million, with the four brothels making around £1.6m a year.
Officers also found more than £142,000 in cash hidden at one of the premises.
As the inquiry progressed, the involvement of Cox and Taqi became evident and they were both arrested in August 2016.
Cox was involved in managing the profiles of the sex workers created by Archer, and Taqi was responsible for overseeing some of the financial side of Archer's businesses and managing Archer's hotels.
DS Kirby added: "The women involved went through horrendous ordeals. Some of the victims testified during the trial, and I praise them for their bravery and courage.
"This has been a complex investigation with distressed victims that have suffered significant trauma, and I would like to acknowledge the roles of other agencies that have helped support the victims during the course of the investigation, and stopped other women becoming victims in the future.
"It is possible that there are further victims that have not yet come forward, and we would urge them to speak to police."
Archer was found not guilty of seven counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
March 29, 2017
