Ex-wife of Tory councillor jailed for running lucrative brothel under guise of beauty therapy business

It appeared to be a successful beauty therapy business run by the respectable middle-aged ex-wife of a Tory councillor.

But Adele Lubin was in fact managing a string of lucrative brothels worth £1million along with her brother and son.

The 62-year-old madam and her 61-year-old sibling Spencer Rolfe were yesterday jailed for 15 months for masterminding the vice racket.

But David Howard, Lubin's son with Essex County Councillor Ray Howard, walked free from court with a six month suspended sentence after the judge said the 41-year-old had been 'corrupted' by his mother.

Lubin claimed she was running a legitimate massage business and had no idea the what was going on behind closed doors as she was too polite to disturb clients.

However, the court heard that the middle-class madam had been running three brothels. Officers believe they could have employed at least 55 prostitutes.

In the heart of leafy North London, Lubin used her two businesses, Beauty and Holistic Therapy and Jenny's Aromatherpy, to charge clients £40 for 30 minutes and £50 for an hour with her girls.

A third massage parlour was set up above a busy shopping parade.

Lubin had converted the house next to her home into a brothel that was open seven days a week and she even set up a health and beauty website as a guise to cover her tracks.

Lubin, former driving instructor Rolfe and Howard were arrested in April last year after undercover police officers were offered sexual services and a WPC was offered a job as a working girl.

The three defendants were regularly seen coming in and out of the properties.

Prosecutor Phillip Bennetts said: 'The premises were searched and it was quite apparent they were being used for the provision of sexual services, for example a large number of condoms were recovered.' 

Lubin owned the brothels in Hendon and Harrow - but said she had bought the second property for her jobless son.

The third property in Mill Hill was rented by Rolfe under a fake name.

Rolfe, a masseur, had placed an advert for staff in Loot magazine and explained to an undercover police officer what 'basic services' entailed when she turned up for an interview. This included an intimate act.

Rolfe told the officer he was going on holiday and his nephew would be taking over the running of the place.

He added her: 'I've got three places, what happens, I run this business as part of my sister's business.

'My sister is behind it all, we have three massage places.'

During the investigations between December 18, 2006 and February 21 last year and officers were offered a variety of sexual services.

One policeman met Lubin, the court heard.

Accomplises: Lubin's son David Howard (left) was given a suspended sentence but her brother Spencer Rolfe (right) was jailed for his part in the vice racket

'He was given a choice of girls and Lubin said: 'Aren't you going to choose darling? Don't be shy.'

The aging madam denied she offered men sex but said: 'I do massage. I do an excellent massage.'

Howard claimed he 'wasn't capable of running a bath, let alone a brothel' after his wife left him for his best friend.

The father-of-two claimed he was suffering depression at the time after being kicked out of his  house when his marriage broke down.

Sentencing, Judge Martin Beddoe told Lubin: 'Prostitution was evidently more profitable than continuing in your career in beauty treatment. This was a sizeable enterprise.'

He said that at any one time there would be about 16 or 17 women working at any of the three brothels and that these women had been exploited by the brother and sister.

Judge Beddoe told Lubin and Rolfe he could see 'no distinction between them' and
they were both at the helm of the conspiracy.

The judge told Howard: 'You were a highly regarded, hard working young man until you were corrupted by your own mother and uncle.

'Your mother's words that she would do anything to protect you, I would treat with contempt as she used you for her own ends.'

Howard was also ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work and each of the three defendants were told to pay £7,200 in costs.

Lubin, of Hendon, Rolfe, of Mill Hill, and Howard from Essex were found guilty of a conspiracy to control prostitution for gain.

The family are now likely to face subject to confiscation proceedings next year.

Ray Howard - county and borough councillor for Canvey West - and Lubin had divorced more than 30 years ago.

He one of the longest serving councillors and is known as 'Mr Canvey'.