A pensioner who is thought to have made millions of pounds running a brothel in Birmingham claims he lent all his money to the Greek government to help the country out of their financial crisis.
Achilleos Neophytou is said to have earned £7 million ($8.9 million) operating a sex parlour called the Libra Club in Birmingham, where up to 200 professionals visited every day.
The 66-year-old, however, rejected the term ‘brothel’ and told reporters on camera the business was “a public service.”
Neophytou appeared at Birmingham Crown Court alongside five others last week and pleaded guilty to keeping, managing or assisting in the management of a brothel for the purposes of prostitution.
After appearing in court, Neophytou, who is on bail, told reporters that all kinds of professionals visited the sex parlour, including lawyers and doctors.
When asked by reporters where his profits went, he replied: “Ahh, where’s the money, that’s a good question. Poor Tsipras was running out of money, you know, Greece.
“And we lend them to Tsipras!”
Neophytou appeared in court alongside his son, Stefanos, 25, who also faced charges.
“People assumed we were making millions, we was working hard, service to the community, but other people, they have got different ideas,” Neophytou said.
“Solicitors were coming there, lawyers were coming there, doctor were coming there, it was a service to the community.
“It was not a brothel,” he claimed.
Police raided the Libra Club in February 2015 after suspecting the venue was a “highly profitable brothel,” employing up to 20 women at any one time and attracting up to 200 customers each day.
The other defendants were: Marilyn Egan, 65, of Elmwood Court, Pershore Road, Edgbaston; Anita O’Donnell, 55, of Slade Lane, Hall Green, Ogun Olufunlola, 30, of Roseby Street, Spring Hill; and Martin Tierney, 60, of Yew Tree Villas, Sheffield Road, Sutton Coldfield.
Sentencing has been adjourned until October 17.
Six people have admitted helping to run a brothel which is believed to have netted more than £7m after attracting up to 200 clients a day.
Police raided the Libra Club in Summer Hill Road, Birmingham, last year.
The three men and three women, who admitted keeping a brothel used for prostitution, were granted bail and are to be sentenced on 17 October.
The prosecution dropped a case against a seventh defendant at Birmingham Crown Court.
Marilyn Egan, aged 55, Achilleos Neophytou, 66; Stefanos Neophytou, 25; Anita O’Donnell, 55, Ogun Olufunlola, 30,, and Martin Tierney, 50, all from Birmingham pleaded guilty.
The charge admitted by the defendants stated that they “acted or assisted” in the management of the Libra Club between 1 January 2010 and 1 February 2015.
The brothel was raided in the early hours of 10 February last year. At the time of the police operation, officers said that up to 20 women had been working there.
The raid, involving 50 officers, followed a series of incidents at the club, including an arson attack, a firearms incident and several outbreaks of disorder.
