Police raid Huddersfield lap-dancing club after sex for sale allegations

Feb 8 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Man held over sex claims at Huddersfield club

A LAP dancing club owner has been arrested over claims he was employing a 16-year-old Romanian stripper.

The 35-year-old Iranian man could face prosecution for people trafficking and offences under the Children’s Act following a raid on La Salsa in Huddersfield.

Police are also investigating his immigration status because of suspicions about his legal status in the UK.

La Salsa, on Beast Market in the town centre, was shut following the bust in the early hours of Saturday.

It came after police had initially been called in to investigate complaints some of the dancers had been performing fully nude and selling seedy sex services in addition to private dances.

Under UK law, private dancers in clubs must remain partially clothed at all times and are banned from physical contact with customers.

Undercover special constables were sent in to pose as customers on Friday night.

After spending about an hour inside, they called colleagues to say they had been offered sex services if they paid more money.

Officers from Huddersfield South Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) and Kirklees Council licensing officials arrived soon afterwards and, after questioning the 14 dancers on duty, discovered one was the Eastern European teenager.

The girl, whose older sister is also thought to have been working at the club, initially told police she was 21.

But after being accompanied to the flat where she was living, on Halifax Road in Birchencliffe, identification documents revealed her true age.

As well as the worrying discovery, police uncovered a number of other minor issues at the club which were alleged to be in breach of its licensing conditions.

They immediately stopped the music, asked customers to leave and interviewed staff and dancers.

The club’s owner, who had been at La Salsa’s sister club in Halifax, was summoned to talk to police.

Shortly after he arrived, at about 1.15am, he was handcuffed and arrested.

Sgt John McFadzean, of the NPT, said: “We had received information from people who had visited the club in the last couple of weeks that they had been offered sexual gratification for payment.

“Private dancers have to remain partially clothed, that is not to remove their G-string or bra, and are not allowed to touch or get within 1ft of a client.

“While investigating these matters, it came to light that one of the dancers was an Eastern European girl thought to be under the age of 18.

“There were a number of Eastern European girls present, suggesting they may have been brought here specifically for this purpose.

“We arrested the owner on suspicion of people trafficking and possible offences under the Children’s Act and, because of concerns about his own status in this country, offences under the Immigration Act.”