Conservative donor ‘making large profits from apartment block full of prostitutes’

Conservative donor ‘making large profits from apartment block full of prostitutes’

Chelsea Cloisters referred to as ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’ in online sex trade

Prime Minister Theresa May is being urged to give back hundreds of thousands of pounds donated to the Conservatives by a property tycoon who owns a London apartment block reportedly operating as a base for prostitution.

More than 100 sex workers have been listed online as working at Chelsea Cloisters, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times.

The building in Chelsea is owned by wealthy property tycoon Christopher Moran, who is believed to have donated £290,000 to the Tories both on a personal basis and through his companies.

Mr Moran’s property company owns the freehold on all 670 flats, and also owns the leasehold on more than 200 of them – letting those properties on both a short-term and long-term basis.

the sex trade is so extensive at the Sloane Avenue building that punters booking prostitutes online refer to it as “Sodom and Gomorrah” and “10 floors of whores”.

Reporters were able to make bookings for prostitutes at 23 separate flats at Chelsea Cloisters, including 15 rented by Mr Moran’s company.

Some of the woman were found to have come from Romania, pinpointed as the main problem country for sex trafficking to the UK by a recent parliamentary report. 

Scotland Yard is now looking examining evidence provided by the newspaper before deciding whether to investigate.

“The Metropolitan Police Service is aware of the allegations made ... relating to the Chelsea Cloisters building,”

“This information is being assessed with a view to identifying whether offences have been committed. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

Labour MP Gavin Shuker, who chaired an all-party parliamentary group which completed on report on the sex trade earlier this year, said the Tories should not hold on to Mr Moran’s donations.

“Theresa May must now give that money to charities that assist victims of human trafficking and use her powers to change the law and to tackle demand,” said Mr Shuker.

Chelsea Cloisters on Sloane Avenue, London

Mr Moran, who has described himself as “astronomically” wealthy, has a personal fortune of around £404m according to the most recent Sunday TimesRich List.

There is no suggestion he is involved in prostitution at Chelsea Cloisters. A legal representative said Mr Moran had not tolerated prostitution at the building or profited from it in any way.

The lawyer said that on the “small number of occasions” that reports of prostitution had been made, the building’s management firm had acted to “address” the issue.

Mr Moran’s property company, Realreed, has an office on the ground floor of Chelsea Cloisters.

His companies are estimated to make £8m a year in revenue from Chelsea Cloisters, including service charges on the flats not rented by Realreed.

a resident at Chelsea Cloisters had complained to him about prostitution in the building. The unnamed resident said “the management weren’t appearing to do anything about it”.

Mr Hands later passed the complaint to the police.