TWO madames, a maid, and a book keeping pimp have been sentenced for their part in running a brothel in Hatfield, which raked in £170,000 in just six months.

The seedy enterprise in Salisbury Square was shut down by police following an unsuspecting raid in November last year.

Katrina Baker, 34, of Thistle Grove in Welwyn Garden City and Valentina Janutiene, 37, of Cromer Hyde Lane in Lemsford, near Welwyn Garden City, were said to have set up the brothel, St Albans Crown Court was told on Friday.

But they were assisted by Janutiene's fiance, Anthony Andrew, 46, also from Cromer Hyde Lane in Lemsford, who helped the pair with his accounting and book keeping skills, even preparing projections and forecasts on how the business was likely to do in the future.

Both Baker and Janutiene had previously worked as prostitutes, as had the fourth person in the dock, 48- year-old Sharon Kerrigan from London, described by Judge John Plumstead as an 'old prostitute'.

On the morning of the raid, police found her there working as a brothel maid.

Baker, Janutiene and Kerrigan all appeared for sentencing having admitted a charge of keeping a brothel for prostitution.

Andrew appeared for sentence having been found guilty by a jury of the same charge.

Neil King, prosecuting, described the set up police found as "a well run, professional and tidy brothel". At the house at the time were two "professional ladies" wearing silk dressing gowns and Kerrigan who was working as a brothel maid.

A police investigation discovered Baker had placed advertisements in local papers advertising a massage parlour.

More paperwork was discovered that showed prostitutes could keep 50 per cent of their 'takings' with the other half going to those running the brothel.

Mr King said police were able to establish the takings for the six months the brothel had been in operation, amounted to £170,000.

Officers also discovered the tenancy agreement for Salisbury Square brothel had been taken out by Andrew.

Interviewed by police, Janutiene said she and Baker, a mother-of-two, would collect the earnings from the prostitutes working at the house.

She said she had a background herself in prostitution and Mr King said there may have been an "overlap" period when she was also at the Salisbury Square address as a prostitute.

Judge John Plumstead said he took the view having presided over Andrew's trial that he had been the company secretary for the business.

Passing sentence Judge Plumstead said had there been any sign that women working at the brothel had been "trafficked" then the sentences would have been harsher.

The judge said that while women could choose to prostitute themselves what they could not do was to set up brothels.

"It commercialises and exploits those who are willing to prostitute themselves for the benefit of others,"

he said.

The judge said that people living in areas where brothels operate are deeply affected by their presence.

Baker and Janutiene were both given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. The pair were also made the subject of a Prohibitive Activity Requirement forbidding them to engage in prostitution for the next six months.

Andrew was sentenced to four months in jail suspended for two years and told he must pay £2,800 towards the cost of the trial and a further £500 towards his defence costs.

Kerrigan was given a two-year conditional discharge.

The judge said her "commercial value" had diminished as she got older and she was no longer able to command the sort of prices she once would have earned as a prostitute.

He said that meant she had been reduced to working as a "domestic servant in a brothel".