Prostitution Laws in the UK
In the United Kingdom it is legal for consenting adults to agree to a money-for-sex exchange. However, there are a number of related activities, including soliciting in a public place, kerb crawling, owning or managing a brothel and pimping that are classified as illegal. Furthermore, in England, Wales and in Northern Ireland it is an offence to pay for sex with a prostitute who has been “subjected to force” and this is a strict liability offence (clients can be prosecuted even if they did not know the prostitute was forced).
Please notice also that although the age of consent for non-commercial sex is 16, it is illegal to buy sex from a person younger than 18.
As long as you visit an independent prostitute, aged 18 or over, you are not breaking the law.
Brothels: Any premises (e.g. flats, saunas, massage parlours) may be classified as a brothels if they are used by more than one man or woman for the purpose of prostitution, whether on the same day or on different days. So, if you see a prostitute, say on a Monday at a particular flat; and another prostitute the next day in the same flat then the premises will still count as a brothel, even though there is never more than one person working at any one time.
Where rooms or flats in a building are let separately to different individuals offering sexual services, the premises as a whole may still count as a brothel if the individuals are effectively working together. Evidence of shared keys, washing and toilet facilities, staircases, tenancy agreements, etc.may still be relevant.
A punter could only get prosecuted if it was proved that a prostitute in the brothel was being coerced and/or was underage. Aside from that visiting a brothel (even though they are illegal) is not an offence. It's the owner/madam/pimp and anyone that actively helps them run it that could be prosecuted for 'Causing or inciting prostitution for gain' and/or 'Controlling prostitution for gain'.
If you punt with a trafficked escort, you are breaking the law. If you are reasonably sure an escort is being trafficked (not just guessing), report it here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/immigration/trafficking/report-human-trafficking/
In the unlikely scenario that the brothel gets raided by the police while you are visiting, you may be asked to give your details. You must do so as giving false details may land you in trouble.
- See Also Prostitution and the Law
What about Trafficking
If you suspect trafficking, it is your job to report it. You can do this anonymously. Do it right away.
Thread on trafficking
