Police shut a Woodley Precinct property for three months after saying it was used as a brothel. It is the latest of seven closure orders in Woodley since February.

A property at Woodley Precinct has been closed for three months. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says it had intelligence that people were being exploited there and that the address was being used as a brothel.

Officers searched the property under a warrant on 10 September. Manchester Magistrates’ Court granted a full closure order on 22 September, for three months, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. GMP announced it on Wednesday (Greater Manchester Police).

GMP has not said which unit it is, and we are not going to guess.

Seven closure orders in Woodley since February

The precinct order is the most recent result of an operation by GMP’s Stockport East Neighbourhood Policing Team, supported by the Stockport District Intelligence Unit. The force says the operation was set up to tackle drug dealing, prostitution, exploitation and anti-social behaviour.

GMP’s figures for the operation:

  • 10 warrants executed since February
  • 7 full and partial closure orders granted, all in the Woodley area
  • 28 arrests
  • 88 charges

The 88 figure counts charges, not people: one person can face several. An arrest is not a finding of guilt, and GMP has named nobody in its statement.

Woodley is in the Bredbury and Woodley ward, about three miles north east of Stockport town centre.

What a closure order does

The order was made under Part 2A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The law sets out how it works:

  • a magistrates’ court can close premises to all persons for up to three months (section 136D)
  • the court can extend it, but the total cannot be more than six months (section 136I)
  • anyone who enters or stays in closed premises without a reasonable excuse commits an offence, punishable by up to 51 weeks in prison, a fine, or both (section 136G)
  • the police, the council, and people with an interest in the premises can ask the court to discharge an order early (section 136J)

A “partial” closure, as GMP describes some of the seven, means the order covers only part of a building. The law allows that (section 136E).

What it means for you

  • The precinct property stays shut until about 22 December, three months from the order, unless the court extends or discharges it.
  • If you are worried about an address near you, report it to GMP on 101, or online. In an emergency, call 999.
  • To stay anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or use its online form.
  • If someone may be being exploited, the Modern Slavery Helpline is 08000 121 700, open 24 hours.

Sources