Two men have been allowed to walk free after being convicted of working as security guards at a high street brothel.

Kim Basu, 41, and Andrei Avasiloaie, 54, were working as doormen and security at a brothel at 92A Norwood High Street in August 2020 when they were arrested.

It was Basu's first day on the job and before police turned up he had sent messages to friends describing it as "depressing".

Both men appeared at Inner London Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, March 17, after pleading guilty.

Avasiloaie, of Berber Parade in Greenwich, was given a suspended sentence of 14 weeks, while Basu, of Kelvedon Close in Chelmsford, was given a community order requiring him to carry out 90 hours of unpaid work.

Both of them walked out of the building as free men.

Brian Kennedy, defending Basu, said his client had previously been a legitimate security guard at reputable businesses.

In 2019 he was convicted of a crime which meant he could no longer work in that industry.

He said: "It was out of economic difficulty that he entered into this work."

Avasiloaie had been working at the brothel for only slightly longer than Basu and was paid £10 an hour.

Patrick Harte, defending Avasiloaie, said his client was only a doorman and had no higher role in the operation of the brothel.

There was no evidence that the four women who worked at the brothel were trafficked or were forced to work there, Prosecutor Judith Benson said.

Judge Silas Reid said: "If that was the case (that the women were there voluntarily) that would sadly be rare in respect of brothels because brothels are dingy places where women are exploited."

He added that both men knew full well what was going on there and had benefitted out of the exploitation of the women inside.

In addition to their respective sentences, Avasiloaie was order to pay £728 in costs, while Basu was order to pay £95.