Victory for Claire Finch, victory for sex workers safety!

From the International Collective of Prostitutes

A malicious prosecution with a happy ending.

On Thursday 29 April, in Luton Crown Court, Claire Finch was found NOT GUILTY of a criminal charge of keeping a brothel.  The jury, in line with public opinion, refused to criminalise Ms Finch for working together with friends from her own home for safety.  Ms Finch, her friends and colleagues, her legal team and the English Collective of Prostitutes which co-ordinated the case, celebrated this victory for rights and safety.

Claire Finch

This case is a precedent – it forges a way for sex workers to work together from premises.  Thousands of women who want to protect their safety now have the possibility of a legal defence against criminal charges.  Sex workers are 10 times more likely to be attacked on the street than indoors, and it is much safer to work with someone else than to work alone.  Yet the law expressly forbids this – two or more women working together are classified as a brothel.

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