Dominatrix, escort, street worker – she’s done them all.

In fact Rachel Francis was so good she eventually ran her own brothel. As a prostitute for nearly 25 years, the former lady of the night has seen nearly everything there is to see in New Zealand’s sex industry. It’s a world many of us are curious about, but will never experience.

Rachel takes 20/20’s Beth Roche behind the scenes of some of the country’s most exclusive brothels, exposing the secret lives of our neighbourhoods. Offering everything from her take on decriminalising prostitution, to what men really want in bed, Rachel Francis tells it like it is.

Watch the video report at 20/20 News in New Zealand.

Read the whole story in The Croydon Guardian…

Deputy Mayor Kit Malthouse puts Newsquest sex ad ban on agenda
By Kirsty Whalley

The London Mayor’s office has pledged to include a ban on sex ads in newspapers in the campaign to stop violence against women.

Mayor Boris Johnson launched his strategy in April, opening a public consultation.

Called “The Way Forward – A call for action to end violence against women”, it covered a range of forms of violence against women including rape, domestic violence, forced marriage, stalking, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and trafficking, female genital mutilation and honour based violence.

Deputy Mayor for policing Kit Malthouse said he will include the banning of sex ads in his recommendations as part of his bid to stop trafficking.

He praised Newsquest’s stand on the issue.

The publisher of the South London Guardian series as well as the Surrey Comet and Richmond and Twickenham Times, banned the adverts from its 305 titles.

The company, which took the decision last year, had been persuaded of the clear link between the ads and women being trafficked for sex.

Looks like another madam is sharing the details of her life in the business.  Eben though it looks like she doesn’t actually name any names, so much for the time honored tradition of Client-Call Girl Confidentiality. Read the whole story at The Croydon Guardian…

Croydon-born brothel madam tells of adventures Down Under
By Harry Miller

Croydon’s most notorious madam is releasing her memoirs of her adventures Down Under.

When Rachel Francis’s parents decided to leave Croydon for warmer climes she moved to New Zealand when she was an infant to start a new life.

Two years ago, after earning the dubious accolade of New Zealand’s most famous madam she went into retirement.

Francis said she wrote her book Laid Bare because there is a lack of literature on the subject from women who didn’t get into the industry because of drugs, addictions, bills, gangs or being forced to.

“Like most people wanted to be a nurse or own a cafe, I always wanted to be a prostitute and work in a brothel. The feather boas, the make-up, the stilettos, the hidden world – absolutely,” she said.

Raised in a normal, loving, hard working family from Croydon, she always had the support of her mum, dad, sister and grandparents.

But, as she describes in Laid Bare, by the age of seven she became aware of her sexuality and the power her body held over men.

At 13 she lost her virginity to a boy who went to the same school, an experience she says was fabulous.

A few years later she started out life in the industry.

Francis spent time as a dominatrix and her clients included the strange, sometimes sadistic and sad. There was Worm Man, Dr Death, Mr Moo, Mr Cleopatra, Mr Balloon and Mr Baby.

These men include a diary farmer who owned a multi-million dollar property, a TV personality with a penchant for young girls who look like young boys.

She would dote on Mr Baby, changing his nappy and feeding him his bottle, lead Mr Moo around the house while he was on all fours, like a cow, eating alfalfa sprouts and drinking from a plastic bowl.

She would plaster her body in white paint, and lie at odd angles while Dr Death pretended to be having his way with a dead woman. But luckily for them no one in her book is named.

“I haven’t written the book to destroy the sex industry,” she said.

Read between the lines of some British massage parlor advertisements. Read the whole story at The Croydon Guardian…

Brothels advertising openly in shops

Massage parlours advertising in the windows of two Tooting newsagents have been exposed as brothels.

Tooting Mini Market and Broadway Candyland, both in Tooting High Street, have been displaying prostitutes’ cards advertising massages However, since we presented its findings to both newsagents only one of them has agreed to withdraw the offensive advertisements.

Adverts featured pictures of women and were displayed in full view of children who use the shops.

When our reporter called the establishments, five receptionists openly offered our reporter sex while others said services would be discussed on arrival.

He was told by one: “We have a lovely girl for you today darling, she’s a beautiful Polish lady.

“Beautiful long dark hair to her bottom. She’s 5ft 7in, very busty, 36FF, 23 years of age and she does a good service.”

Our reporter was offered sex services at Golden Sara Oriental Massage and Tooting Broadway Relaxing Massage, just a few feet away from Tooting Broadway tube station.

Three others were in Colliers Wood, Morden and Croydon.

Prices ranged from £60 to £120 for full sex with girls who were Polish, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Korean, and one establishment, Paradise in Croydon, offered £10 for “extras”.

Three of the houses had more than one girl on offer, meaning legally they are considered brothels, but so far police have failed to close them down.

…

Susan John-Richards, Tooting councillor, said: “I’m totally shocked with this news and I will follow up this story.

“As citizens, it’s every shopkeepers’ duty to know their customer. If we want to stay a successful community we have a duty to each other.”