A WOMAN who was employed to work as a receptionist at a brothel has been spared jail.

Diane Loughman, 46, took phone calls from would-be punters at the brothel in Middlesbrough run by her estranged husband, Kai Fat Ho.

Teesside Crown Court heard that Loughman would describe the sexual services on offer, along with their cost, and introduce men to the prostitutes at the premises in Rockliffe Road.

Loughman also placed an advertisement in the Sunday Sport newspaper, said Sean Dodds, prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court.

He said she had been asked by Ho to assist in a "business venture" and was employed as a receptionist on an ad-hoc basis.

Ho would pocket half the girl's earnings and pay Loughman, on occasions, between £5 and £10, along with money for petrol, Mr Dodds added.

The brothel has since been closed down by police.

Ho was jailed for six months last August after admitting living off the earnings of prostitution and keeping a brothel.

For her part, mother of two Loughman, of Queen Street, Redcar, east Cleveland, pleaded guilty to assisting in the management of a brothel.

Her barrister Kate Dodds said she was previously of good character and had suffered abuse from members of the public as a result of her involvement in the venture.

She said: "She needs help a great deal more than she requires the punishment of a prison sentence."

Judge Peter Bowers said she had taken an active part in running the brothel, even if just for a short time. However, he said he took into account Loughman's medical condition - she suffers from arthritis - in his decision to suspend a two month jail sentence for 12 months.