Latest news with #sexworkers
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
I fear I'll be killed every day on streets where Yorkshire Ripper prowled for prostitutes… but there's no way out
HALF a century after the Yorkshire Ripper's reign of terror, sex workers are still working the same danger-plagued streets - and fear every night could be their last. Just a stone's throw from where evil Peter Sutcliffe prowled for victims, women ply their trade to punters in Bradford, West Yorkshire. 12 The city's deprived Manningham area remains a gritty red-light district almost five decades after serial killer Sutcliffe first struck. Three of his 13 known murder victims came from Bradford, and the women who still work the patch tell The Sun that the Ripper's shadow has never lifted. 'Nothing has changed' Mum-of-three Sarah, 30, said: "Fifty years on, what's changed? Nothing. "It's still really dangerous to be out on the streets. You don't know whose car you're getting into. "You don't know if you're going home at the end of the night. You don't know if you're going to end up in a hospital. "Every time I get into a car, I don't know if I'm coming back out." Sutcliffe lived just north of Lumb Lane in Bradford's red-light district, where he would often drive around watching the women working the streets. Desperate to lose his virginity, he was tricked out of £5 by a sex worker, and in a fit of rage, returned with a brick in a sock - only to attack the wrong woman by mistake. Experts believe it was on these streets that the violent, troubled Sutcliffe transformed into the Yorkshire Ripper. Patricia Atkinson, 32, was Sutcliffe's fourth victim but the first to be slain in Bradford, in 1977. The sex worker met Peter in Lumb Lane before being killed with a hammer in her flat on Oak Avenue. The long-derelict block of flats - now a haven for antisocial behaviour - remains frozen in time as a haunting reminder of the Ripper. Young mum Yvonne Pearson, 21, was battered with a hammer in 1978. Her body was hidden under an old sofa on a grassy embankment just streets from her home, not far from Lumb Lane. The Ripper's third Bradford victim was 20-year-old student Barbara Leach, whose murder in 1979 displayed how Sutcliffe's violence extended beyond prostitutes. 12 12 12 12 The lorry driver was for years able to carry on his brutal reign of terror in part because police attitudes saw sex workers as dispensable and only took the case seriously once "innocent young girls" had been killed. Sarah, who has worked the streets since age 14 after being groomed and hooked on drugs, accused police of similar failings today. Her aunt Shelley Armitage, 31, was one of three sex workers butchered by self-proclaimed Crossbow Cannibal Stephen Griffiths in 2010. The monster, who used power tools to dismember victims, revered and meticulously studied the methods of Sutcliffe. 'Cops saw us as dispensable' Sarah said: 'I've been sexually assaulted, beaten, robbed so many times. You tell the police - they don't do nothing. So you stop reporting it. What's the point? "They don't care. They never have." "I'm not a bad person. People think us prostitutes, we're thieves, we're liars, we're horrible, we're nasty, but we're not. We're really not. We're just human beings that are lost. "I didn't choose this life for myself. People think we just woke up one day and thought we'd become prostitutes and get hooked on drugs. "No-one wants to do what we do for £30 a go. There's no pleasure in it, there's money in it. "We just scrape by," Another sex worker, who asked not to be identified, said the fear of violence remained constant. She said: "I grew up learning about the Ripper. The first car that I ever got in, I was s***scared. "And, you know what, to this day, 20 years later I still get that feeling. "It's a constant fear every day that I could be the next victim. "I'm dying to get out of it. I'm done with this. I'm sick of it." During Sutcliffe's killing spree, women's groups accused police of institutional sexism. I've been sexually assaulted, beaten, robbed so many times. You tell the police - they don't do nothing. So you stop reporting it Sarah, 30 Some victims' families were even told their loved ones had 'brought it on themselves' by working as prostitutes. The term 'non-prostitute victim' was shockingly used to distinguish Barbara Leach from others. Tracy Browne, who was bludgeoned with a hammer in Silsden, Yorkshire, in 1975, was ignored by police who doubted her story because her profile as a 14-year-old schoolgirl did not fit with senior officers' theory about the killer's motivation. The brutal attack was not filed as a Ripper assault until Sutcliffe confessed to police in Broadmoor prison in 1992. In his disturbing confessional, Sutcliffe admitted: 'I saw this Tracy Browne. She didn't look 15, she looked 19 or 20. She were all dressed up. She were walking slowly up this lane. 'I thought, 'Oh, she's probably one of these prostitutes' because I had it in my mind Silsden must be full of prostitutes. 'Anyway, I hit her with a branch or something, didn't really injure her, and threw her over a wall. I climbed over and I was thinking of bumping her off and this voice said, 'Stop, stop. It's a mistake'.' Ms Browne, 62, said: 'Sutcliffe was practising on me and as his cockiness increased, his crimes became more heinous. "All his victims were real woman with real lives and real families. 'They deserve to be remembered for who they were." That same disbelief shown from authorities is still part of life in Bradford, say the women who work those streets today. Ms Hollins added: "People think we're thieves, we're liars, we're horrible, we're nasty, but we're not. "We're really not. We're just human beings that are lost." It is feared the Ripper, who died of Covid in 2020, was behind a shocking tally of unsolved cases that have remained dormant for decades. A report after he was handed 20 life sentences in 1981 found that Sutcliffe could have been responsible for a further 13 offences. Cases linked to the Ripper include Mo Lea, who almost had her spinal cord severed as he pinned her to the ground and assaulted her with a sharpened screwdriver. Mo, 65, who was attacked in Leeds in 1980, warned that without real action the killings of Sutcliffe and Griffiths could be repeated. She said: "I've always said if these victims had been men, lessons would have been learned. At the time in the 70 and 80s, women were deemed as second class citizens. "And to this day, I still think that is the case. "I do honestly deeply believe that there is still misogyny in the police and lessons have not been learned after all these years." 12 NOBODY TALKS ABOUT HIM HERE A report after Sutcliffe was handed 20 life sentences in 1981 found that he could have been responsible for a further 13 offences. The 1982 Byford report, made public in 2006, said: "We feel it is highly improbable that the crimes in respect of which Sutcliffe has been charged and convicted are the only ones attributable to him." It was revealed in 2017 that police interviewed Sutcliffe in jail about 16 unsolved attacks but they did not quiz him about any murders. No charges were ever brought. In 2020, West Yorkshire Police apologised for the "language, tone and terminology" used in the 70s to describe Ripper victims. Force Chief Constable John Robins said the language used at the time was "as wrong then as it is now". He insisted that the force's approach to investigations was now "wholly victim-focused". By Owen Scott Wilma McCann Wilma was Peter's first victim, whom he murdered on October 20, 1975. The mum-of-four was reportedly seen leaving her home at 7:30pm, before heading to a pub for a night out with some friends. She is believed to have been picked up by Peter in his car, who then killed her in the Prince Philip Playing Fields just five minutes away from her house. Emily Jackson Emily Jackson was just 42-years-old when she was murdered by Peter on January 20th, 1976. She was working as a part-time sex worker when Peter drove her to an area near Manor Street Industrial Estate. Like Wilma, she was killed by a hammer and then stabbed with a screwdriver. Emily was then found by a workman the next day. Irene Richardson Like Emily, Irene was a sex worker who was killed with a hammer by Peter but her death came almost a year after Peter had claimed his second victim. She was a mum-of-three who was last seen near the Gaiety Pub, which was the same pub that Peter had kidnapped Emily. Irene was killed on February 5, 1977, in Soldier's Field before being found the next morning by a jogger. Patricia Atkinson Patricia was Peter's fourth victim, but the first to be killed in his hometown of Bradford. This forced the police to consider that the killer may be operating in a larger area than Leeds. Patricia, known by friends as Tina, met Peter in the Red Light District before being killed with a hammer in her flat on Oak Avenue. Jayne MacDonald Jayne was just 16-years-old when she became Peter's youngest victim. She had been working as a shop assistant in Grandways Supermarket in Leeds before her death on June 26, 1977. Jayne was returning from a night out when Peter followed her home and killed her. Her body was found by a group of school children the next morning, who came across her body in the playground. Jean Jordan Jean was Peter's first victim to be killed outside of West Yorkshire. He met Jean in Moss Side, Manchester, on October 1, 1977, before killing her. She was found eight days later by a local worker named Bruce Jones, who fans of the show Coronation Street may recognise as Les Battersby. Yvonne Pearson Peter's crime spree continued into 1978, when he murdered 21-year-old prostitute Yvonne Pearson. He killed Yvonne in his home town Bradford, on January 21, leaving her two-year-old Colette and five-month-old Lorraine without a mother. They had been staying with a neighbour on the night that she was driven to a waste ground and killed. Her body was hidden with a sofa and wasn't found until March 26, just over two months after her disappearance. Helen Rytka By the time of Helen's death, Peter was being referred to by the media as 'The Yorkshire Ripper'. He murdered Helen on January 31, 1978, just over a week after he murdered Yvonne. Helen was only 18-years-old when she was killed in a timber yard but it took days for her body to eventually be found. She had been working as a prostitute at the time of her death, just like her twin sister Rita. Vera Millward Vera lived in Hulme in Manchester, where Peter was only known to have struck once. She was a mother-of-seven who had serious health problems, including only having one functional lung. Vera was killed just outside Manchester Royal Infirmary, before her body was found the next day. She had left home to meet a regular client, but instead got into Peter's car on May 16, 1978. Josephine Whitaker Josephine worked as a clerk in Halifax, before Peter killed her with a screwdriver on April 4, 1979. She was the tenth person to be killed by The Yorkshire Ripper, but her case was another turning point for the police. A boot print, matching the ones left at Patricia Atkinson and Emily Jackson's murders, was found next to her body which confirmed that the killer had struck again after a year of silence. Barbara Leach Barbara was a student at Bradford University and was just 20-years-old when Peter murdered her. She left a shared home belonging to some friends in Grove Terrace on the night of September 1, 1979, when Peter began following her. Barbara was then dragged into an alley and stabbed, but it took two days for her to be reported as missing. Marguerite Walls Marguerite left her office in Leeds later than usual on August 20, 1980, since she was preparing to go on holiday the next day. The civil servant walked home through Farsley, which she knew was a brightly-lit way home. However, unbeknownst to her, Peter had begun following her. After killing her with a hammer and rope, Peter hid her body in the grounds of Claremont House where she was later discovered by some gardeners. Jacqueline Hill Peter's final known victim was Jacqueline Hill, who was a student at Leeds University. The Yorkshire Ripper murdered her just 100 yards from her flat, with the hammer and screwdriver that now typified his crimes. Her body was found a day later.
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Mark Latham's ex Nathalie Matthews ordered to hand over escort bookings records
Mark Latham's ex-fiancee will be asked to hand over any records she holds of booking sex workers on the same day the former Labor leader celebrated his 64th birthday in February in the latest legal salvo between the former couple. In a new subpoena served on Nathalie May Matthews, 37, Mr Latham's legal team asserts she has several 'aliases' including Nathalie Darrough – which is believed to be her maiden name – and her Muslim name, Maryam Abdullah. The legal document also requires Ms Matthews to hand over all entries, postings, images and videos from her OnlyFans account from January, 2021, to the current date. The fresh legal filing specifically zeros in on the date of Mr Latham's 64th birthday on February 28, 2025. It requests a copy of all communications including emails, receipts and credit card records for 'the booking of escorts on February 28, 2025 at the Fullerton Hotel Sydney with Red Door Escort Agency'. does not suggest that Ms Matthews made the booking or that she or Mr Latham had sex with escorts, only that his legal team has sought documents in a subpoena. Sex work is legal in NSW and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing. Mr Latham said the subpoenas were designed to test his ex-lover's claim he made her have sex with other men. 'She's falsely claimed in her private application to the court that I made her have sex with other people, so this allows us to interrogate the people that unprompted by me… she's had sex with, and there are many,' Mr Latham said. 'So the (subpoenas are) directed in part ... to get information that's relevant to her application so it can be tested in the court, which, of course, is the process of justices.' As to the claim he defecated on his former girlfriend during sex, he dismissed as 'nonsense, complete nonsense'. '(She is ) making things up… as I said earlier in the week, most of the things she's complaining about, or 95 per cent of the things she's complaining about, she initiated,' he claimed. Red Door Agency promotes itself as a leading agency providing high class escorts for couples seeking a 'ménage a trois'. 'Have you always wanted to add a beautiful woman into your bedroom universe? Do you imagine having a woman who you and your significant other could enjoy?,' the website states. 'Our agency is high-end, elite, and most importantly, discreet. No one will ever know you and your partner enjoyed a Red Door threesome unless you tell them.' 'Sexed up' relationship Mr Latham has spoken out over the breakdown of the relationship, insisting on Saturday it was a 'sexed up' relationship until their break up in May, when he alleges Ms Matthews confronted him 'covered in mud'. 'This was like something from World War Z,' he said. '(But) one thing's abundantly clear – what we had for over two years was a sexed-up consensual open arrangement between adults with a fair bit of other contacts, such as fun days of the races through in. I didn't make any moral Judgement about her. 'I just enjoyed our time together, and it was enjoyable for 90 per cent of the time. The other (10) per cent could be dark and disturbing, but I rationalised it by thinking at my age, an age at which my father had already dropped dead, 90 per cent beat 10 per cent. 'But ultimately, there was an incident that ended it all as I mentioned earlier: the races.' Leaked sexts Leaked texts have laid bare the breakdown in Mr Latham's relationship with his ex-lover and the couple's habit of graphic sexting exchanges and the use of tracking devices to find a 'f*ck parlour'. Ms Matthews has sought an AVO from police but the matter is yet to be heard. Mr Latham denies the allegations and has not been charged with any criminal offence. The texts, first published by The Daily Telegraph are sexually charged and graphic. In one text exchange on February 20 at 11:06 am, the former Labor leader writes, 'Master's c**k needs relief too. Very hard thinking about you.' The 64-year-old follows up with a series of emojis including a purple eggplant and a tongue. 'Haven't c*m in days,' he writes. 'Lots of c**k tension.' The messages continue throughout the day with Mr Latham referencing parliamentary work around 8pm. 'Made it back for the first vote after dinner,' he writes. 'I needed that. You're amazing.' 'Master' nickname revealed Ms Matthews has alleged he asked her to call him 'master' and engaged in degrading sexual acts in a shocking apprehended violence application. She outlined the claims in an application to the NSW Local Court and is seeking a no-contact order for up to two years. Mr Latham who is a New South Wales Legislative Council member, has issued an emphatic denial about the claims. 'The claims you've listed there are absolute rubbish,' Mr Latham said. 'Comical in fact.' Mr Latham said the relationship was entirely consensual and he never pressured her to have sex with other men. He says they had an 'open relationship'. 'Degrading' sexual acts alleged Ms Matthews is seeking an order preventing Mr Latham from going within 100m of her, alleging an 'ongoing, reasonable fear of harassment, intimidation, and potential harm'. 'Throughout our relationship, the defendant engaged in a sustained pattern of emotional, physical, sexual, psychological, and financial abuse, including defecating on me before sex and refusing to let me wash,' the application states. 'Forcing degrading sexual acts, pressuring me to engage in sexual acts with others, demanding I call him 'master,' telling me I was his property, and repeatedly telling me that my only value to him was for sex to demean and control me.' does not suggest the claims are true, only that they have been made in an application to the NSW Local Court in pursuit of an AVO. In Ms Matthews original AVO application she claims Mr Latham encouraged her to engage in sexual acts with others, 'demanding I call him master telling me I was his property, and repeatedly telling me that my only value to him was for sex to demean and control me'. Billionaire dragged into text mess On Friday, fresh texts revealed that Mr Latham joked with his ex-lover that billionaire Richard White owed her 'big money' and urged her to seek compensation for a nondisclosure agreement in new leaked texts. Messages exchanged between Mr Latham and Ms Matthews also reveal that the former Labor leader joked she should perform oral sex on Mr White. In the sordid text, he suggests she should do so to 'celebrate' after a series of board members quit the tech company in the wake of a sex scandal controversy. Mr White is not accused of any wrongdoing and does not suggest Ms Matthews and Mr White engaged in a sexual relationship, only that Mr Latham joked about his partner performing oral sex on the 70-year old billionaire. In the text messages published by The Australian, Mr Latham sent Ms Matthews a news article about the scandal engulfing the billionaire's company. 'He owes you big money,' Mr Latham wrote. 'Get the compo NDA!!!' According to The Australian newspaper, Ms Matthews replied there were 'not really grounds'. 'I could kill my professional career,' she wrote. 'Remember I don't have a secure job.' The pair had a series of discussions about the billionaire with Mr Latham predicting Mr White 'coming back as CEO will make him a huge target'. On February 24, Mr Latham sent Ms Matthews a news article noting several WiseTech board members had quit. 'He will want you to suck his c**k to celebrate,' Mr Latham wrote. 'What an honour!!' He added a shocked face emoji. Mr Latham then suggested Mr White would soon be 'back as CEO' which would 'increase share price'. 'So buy 30k at 2pm today,' he wrote. 'Bargain.' When Ms Matthews jokingly questioned whether this was 'insider trading', Mr Latham replied: 'Insider f**king.' 'Haha,' he wrote. 'Not insider trading at all.' Latham denies insider trading On Saturday, Mr Latham again denied he ever bought or sold WiseTech shares despite discussing financial information about the company with Ms Matthews – which he learned of through her private conversations with Mr White. 'I've never bought a share in my life,' he declared to reporters. 'Next question.' Mr Latham would also not deny he had sex with Ms Matthews in his parliamentary office, insisting people could 'write whatever they like'. 'Members of parliament are allowed to run their own office,' he said. 'These are not matters of public interest … but the truth is, members of parliament have privilege for whatever happens in their office, (it) is their own domain.' Statement from Ms Matthews' solicitor In a statement, Ms Matthews solicitor said she has no comment to make at this point in time. 'However, what is disappointing in this situation, where an individual has sought help from the judicial system, and before the court has even had the ability to hear the matter, is that my client has been subjected to character assassination, reputational damage and trial by media,' she said. 'Domestic violence is a serious issue in our society. Any individual in genuine fear should have the right to seek protection without vilification.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The US helped successfully tackle Aids - now cuts put that at risk
Gugu used to collect her anti-retroviral from a USAID-funded clinic in downtown Johannesburg. But when President Trump's cuts to aid funding were announced earlier this year, her and thousands of other HIV-positive patients across South Africa suddenly faced an uncertain future. Gugu was lucky, the clinic where she got the medication that helps suppress her symptoms contacted her before it closed down. "I was one of the people who was able to get their medication in bulk. I usually collect a three-month prescription. But before my clinic closed, they gave me nine months' worth of medication." She will run out of ARVs in September, and then plans on going to her local public hospital for more. A former sex worker, the 54-year-old found out she was HIV-positive after she'd quit the industry. Ten years ago she got a chesty cough, and initially thought it was tuberculosis. She went to a doctor who told her she had a chest infection and treated her for it. But when the treatment failed, she went to a clinic to get an HIV test. "By then I already assumed that I was HIV-positive, and I told the nurse this." She was right, and she has been on antiretrovirals (ARVs) ever since. We're not using her real name at her request. She currently works as a project coordinator for an NGO. "We help pregnant sex workers get their ARVs, to ensure their children are born HIV-negative. We also do home visits to make sure that the mothers take their medication on time, and to look after their babies when they go for their monthly check-ups." Many HIV-positive sex workers in South Africa relied on private clinics funded by the US government's now-defunct aid agency, USAID, to get their prescriptions and treatments. But most of the facilities closed after US President Donald Trump cut most foreign aid earlier this year. In a report due to be released on Thursday, the UN body in charge of fighting HIV/Aids does not single out the US, but says that drastic cuts from a number of donors have sent shockwaves around the world, and the "phenomenal progress" in tackling the illness risks being reversed. "New HIV infections have been reduced by 40% since 2010, and 4.4 million children have been protected from acquiring HIV since 2000. More than 26 million lives have been saved," UNAIDS says, warning that if the world does not act, there could be an extra six million new HIV infections and four million AIDS-related deaths by 2029. Gugu has so far been lucky. The clinic from where she got her antiretrovirals in Johannesburg contacted her before it closed. She will run out of antiretrovirals in September, and will then go to her local public hospital for more. She believes that many sex workers could be discouraged from doing so. "The problem with going to public hospitals is the time factor. In order to get serviced at these facilities, you have to arrive at 4 or 5am, and they may spend the whole day waiting for their medication. For sex workers, time is money," Gugu says. She adds that she recently went to her local clinic with some friends to register her details and build a relationship with staff. "The nurse who attended to us was very rude. She told us there was nothing special about sex workers." She thinks this could lead to many sex workers defaulting on their medication, "especially because their hospital files contain a lot of personal information, and the concern is that sometimes the nurses at these local clinics aren't always the most sensitive in dealing with this kind of information." According to the UN, the US cuts to HIV funding could reverse some of the gains made by what has been called one of the most successful public health interventions in history. Scientists in the UK-based Lancet medical journal last month estimated that USAID funding directly reduced Aids deaths by 65%, or 25.5 million, over the past two decades. Then-US President George W Bush launched an ambitious programme to combat HIV/Aids in 2003, saying it would serve the "strategic and moral interests" of the US. Known as the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar), it led to the investment of more than $100bn (£74bn) in the global HIV/Aids response - the largest commitment by any nation to address a single disease in the world. South Africa has about 7.7 million people living with HIV, the highest number in the world, according to UNAIDS. About 5.9 million of them receive antiretroviral treatment, resulting in a 66% decrease in Aids-related deaths since 2010, the UN agency adds. South Africa's government says Pepfar funding contributed about 17% to its HIV/Aids programme. The money was used for various projects, including running mobile clinics to make it easier for patients to get treatment. The Trump administration's cuts have raised concern that infection rates could spike again. "I think we're going to start seeing an increase in the number of HIV infections, the number of TB cases, the number of other infectious diseases," Prof Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Johannesburg's Wits University, tells the BBC. "And we're going to start seeing a reversal of what was essentially a real success story. We were getting on top of some of these things." Gugu points out that treatment is a matter of life and death, especially for vulnerable populations like sex workers. "People don't want to default on their ARVs. They're scared that they're going to die if they don't get access to them. The cuts have also affected research aimed at finding an HIV vaccine and a cure for Aids. "There's the long-term impact, which is that we're not going to be getting new vaccines for HIV," Prof Morris adds. "We're not going to be keeping on top of viruses that are circulating. Even with new viruses that might appear, we're not going to have the surveillance infrastructure that we once had." South Africa has been one of the global leaders in HIV research. Many of the medications that help prevent the virus, and which have benefitted people around the world, were trialled in South Africa. This includes Prep (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medication which stops HIV-negative people from catching the virus. Another breakthrough preventive drug released this year, Lenacapavir, an injection taken twice a year and that offers total protection from HIV, was also tried in South Africa. In a lab at Wits University's Health Sciences campus, a small group of scientists are still working on a vaccine for HIV. They are part of the Brilliant Consortium, a group of labs working across eight African countries to develop a vaccine for the virus. "We were developing a vaccine test to see how well that works, and then we would trial it on humans," Abdullah Ely, an Associate Professor at Wits University, tells the BBC in his lab. "The plan was to run the trials in Africa based on research carried out by Africans because we want that research to actually benefit our community as well as all mankind." But the US funding cuts threw their work into doubt. "When the stop order came, it meant we had to stop everything. Only some of us have been able to get additional funding so we could continue our work. It's set us back months, probably could even be a year," Prof Ely says. The lab lacks funding to carry out clinical trials scheduled for later this year. "That is a very big loss to South Africa and the continent. It means that any potential research that comes out of Africa will have to be tested in Europe, or the US," Prof Ely says. In June, universities asked the government for a bailout of 4.6bn South African rand ($260m; £190m) over the next three years to cover some of the funding lost from the US. "We are pleading for support because South Africa is leading in HIV research, but it's not leading for itself. This has ramifications on the practice and policies of the entire globe," says Dr Phethiwe Matutu, head of Universities South Africa. South Africa's Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi announced on Wednesday that some alternative funding for research had been secured. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust have agreed to donate 1m rand each with immediate effect, while the government would make available 400m rand over the next three years, he said. This would bring the total to 600m rand, way below the 4.6bn rand requested by researchers. As for Gugu, she had hoped that by the time she was elderly, a cure for HIV/Aids would have been found, but she is less optimistic now. "I look after a nine-year-old. I want to live as long as I can to keep taking care of him," she tells the BBC. "This isn't just a problem for right now, we have to think about how it's going to affect the next generation of women and young people." 'My wife fears sex, I fear death' - impacts of the USAID freeze 'People will starve' because of US aid cut to Sudan What is USAID and why is Trump closing it down? Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I started working in a brothel at 18…I slept with more men in 6 hours than I ever had & got unlucky with my first client
A SEX worker who began her career in a brothel at the age of just 18 has spoken out about her first shift. Isabelle Fox, a 27-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, admitted that she got very unlucky with her first client. 2 2 Not only this, but she confessed that she slept with more men in just six hours on her first shift, than she ever had in her entire life. Posting on social media, Isabelle filmed herself outside the brothel she worked in during her teenage years, Gotham City. But now, Isabelle has found herself at the centre of a barrage of abuse, with viewers shocked by her 'shameful' career. It comes after Isabelle said: 'At 18, I stepped into this brothel, Gotham City, for the first time and on my first shift, which was six hours long, I saw four clients - more men than I'd slept with total personally at that point.' Isabelle boasted that she earned $1,000 [Australian dollars, equivalent to £653] after her first shift, which at the time, she thought was 'exciting.' The content creator then revealed that after telling her father about her desire to start sex work, he warned her to 'pick a safe and reputable place and to talk to the other girls working there first.' Taking her dad 's advice seriously, Isabelle visited a handful of brothels in the area and just a few nights after a 'mildly terrifying' interview process, she had landed her first role. At the time, the brunette ditched her corporate office job for sex work and was "terrified" for her first shift. Despite her fears, she admitted: 'My first shift was a big success, even though I got really unlucky. 'My first client told me it was his first time too, so we were both shaking like leaves.' Watch the moment Strictly champ Stacey Dooley sleeps at a BROTHEL in explicit new TV series - and admits she 'loves it' Reflecting on the experience, she acknowledged: 'It was the most un-smooth booking of all time.' Following this, Isabelle had a six-year career in the profession of escorting, which she described as "incredible.' Are brothels legal in the UK? There has been a growing debate in the UK about whether brothels should be legalised, following the emergence of pop-up brothels across the country. These temporary establishments, often set up in residential areas, have sparked concerns among local communities and law enforcement agencies. The current legal framework in the UK criminalises the operation of brothels, but individual sex work is permitted. This has led to a complex and often problematic situation for those involved in the industry. Advocates for legalising brothels argue that regulation could improve safety and working conditions for sex workers. By bringing the industry out of the shadows, they believe that sex workers would have better access to health services and legal protection, reducing the risks of exploitation and violence. Furthermore, regulated brothels could be subject to health and safety standards, ensuring a safer environment for both workers and clients. On the other hand, opponents of legalisation worry that it could lead to an increase in human trafficking and exploitation. They argue that normalising the sex industry might encourage more people to become involved in it, both as workers and clients. Additionally, there are concerns about the impact on local communities, with fears that legalised brothels could lead to an increase in crime and antisocial behaviour in residential areas. As the debate continues, it is clear that there are no easy answers. Balancing the rights and safety of sex workers with the concerns of local communities and broader societal impacts remains a complex challenge. Policymakers will need to carefully consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of legalising brothels in the UK, taking into account the experiences of other countries that have taken similar steps. Social media users fume But the TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @ isabellefox, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 560,200 views. Not only this, but it's also amassed 20,700 likes, 540 comments and 1,474 shares. Despite Isabelle's 'positive' experience with brothels, social media users were horrified by her claims and many raced to the comments to share their thoughts. One person said: 'Shameful.' Another added: 'Very disconnected to respect.' Whilst a third thought Isabelle's career was 'so sad,' a fourth simply slammed: 'Shame on you.' Meanwhile, someone else wondered: 'Why are we normalising this?'
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sex Workers Are Sharing The Worst Parts Of Their Job That People Don't Think About, And It's Eye-Opening
I recently came across a Reddit thread where user u/Real_Drawing_530 asked, "Sex workers, what's the worst part of your job? Their responses were were very honest and revealing. Here's what they had to say: 1."The absolute worst part of being a sex worker is clients with bad hygiene." —VegetableComplex5213 2."Do you know all the memes about how horrible customer service jobs are? Now imagine you gotta have sex with all those idiots." —bump_on_the_log 3."Hiding. Keeping it a secret." —None 4."The fantasy bookers. They inquire for the thrill. They attempt to sext, ask for additional information, and send nudes all with no intention of actually moving forward." —None 5."Being stood up." —3STUDIOS 6."The scrooges trying to haggle prices." —nobbidotcom 7."The worst part is the men and women who don't understand how much your time is worth and don't see you as an actual human. They always have a sense of entitlement." —76616c6964 8."The cheapskates trying to get a free lay. 'Hey, I have no money, but I'm hung. Can I come?'" —nobbidotcom 9."The disgusting guys who try to get laid without protection. They say, 'I'll buy you PrEP. Can we do it without a condom?'" —nobbidotcom 10."For me, the flakiness is the worst. When a client RSVPs two weeks in advance, you have to plan around that, and then a few hours before, they will cancel. Or I have to travel an hour plus out somewhere only for the client to ghost me." —WindJammer27 11."The number of trauma vultures who think it's fine to ask things like 'What's the worst thing that's happened to you?' 'What's the most messed-up thing you've been asked to do?' You wouldn't (and shouldn't) ask other service providers that, why us?" —Beautiful_Captain370 12."The worst part about being a sex worker is that if you get assaulted or if someone doesn't pay you, people just think 'Well, that's what you get for being a sex worker.'" —norahbella 13."When all they wanna do is talk about politics. Like, did you just pay me to listen to you ramble about why Trump is 'misunderstood?' (This happens more than you think)." —Wet_cherries420 14."I'm a former SWer. The worst part of it for me was the fear of being blindsided, tricked, or caught by law enforcement. I never did, but I'm pretty sure I actually had conversations with law enforcement multiple times, I just never directly incriminated myself, and they couldn't do anything. I'd ghost at the first hint of something being amiss. But that little twinge of uncontrollable fear of the what-if was the worst for me." —phoenix4278 15."No union, benefits, insurance, and little to no due process. It's a high-risk industry with a potential for fast growth, but like any sex industry job, there aren't any protections for people who have been harmed in the process. Not for the sex workers." —Xotaec 16."I've never had a client that kisses right. always feel like they're trying to eat my whole head." —3STUDIOS 17."The backlash you might get from family and friends. Even if you love your job, people still try to tell you you should focus on something else." —The_Deviine 18."Marketing yourself and keeping up with social media. It's a full-time job which can consume you if you don't take an occasional break." —mygigidior 19."Balancing mental health. It's an everyday struggle as you constantly compare yourself to other gorgeous women who have had plastic surgery, are blessed with genetics, are younger than you, or a combination of all the above." —mygigidior 20."Maintaining a meaningful relationship either with family, friends or a romantic partner who's not in the industry." —mygigidior 21."Constant travel for conventions, shooting, or making content. I spend more time in hotels and on planes than in my own bed." —mygigidior 22."Definitely just that the randomness of the people that pay for your services inevitably means that while you meet some really nice people, you're also going to meet some truly awful, nasty, and difficult people." —UnknownDawn finally, "I'd say it's the way that we are treated by society and the stigma against us. People constantly speak over us with misguided and uneducated opinions, thinking they know what is best for us when they have absolutely no skin in the game. So many refuse to listen to us or take us seriously. These things contribute to a foundation for the puritanical laws surrounding our work, which create dangerous working conditions and put us in precarious situations." —ChampagneVixen_ If you are or were a sex worker, what's been the worst part of the job? Share in the comments or use the anonymous form below:
