PE teacher and his wife are arrested over trafficking of prostitutes

13 April 2012

Tim Blake-Bowell: Continued teaching

Tim and Emma Blake-Bowell were held as part of a long-running inquiry into the vice trade.

The games master, a 46-year-old father of two, was questioned on suspicion of keeping prostitutes, people-trafficking and money-laundering.

He and his 34-year-old wife have yet to be charged with any offences.

Thousands of pounds in cash is said to have been seized from the couple's home in Canterbury.

They were among seven suspects arrested last month in raids at 11 addresses in East Kent as part of Operation Vermont - a major investigation into the sex trade in the county.

Eight women said to be from Eastern Europe were taken into specialist police care and face deportation if it is found they entered the UK illegally.

A force insider said that the Blake-Bowells "were both arrested, questioned and then released on police bail to return to an East Kent police station in March."

Despite this, Blake-Bowell was allowed to continue teaching until the end of the Christmas term at King

Ethelbert comprehensive in Birchington, although he has now been suspended.

A council source said: "As soon as this came to light there was a high-level meeting in the education department and the decision to suspend him was made very quickly. He will not be returning to the school gates this month."

Blake-Bowell told the Daily Mail yesterday that he was not allowed to comment on the arrest, but said that it was "so far off the mark it is unbelievable".

He added: '" have not even been charged, I've only been arrested."

A source at King Ethelbert said: "Nobody could believe that Tim was arrested. He has always seemed like a model teacher and the kids love him.

"All the teachers have been talking about it and the parents are going to hit the roof."

One mother who has two children at the 700-pupil comprehensive, said: "I think it's totally inappropriate that he was allowed to carry on teaching while he was on bail for these kind of serious offences.

It is believed around 1,500 women are brought into the UK each year to work as prostitutes

"It is totally inappropriate that a suspect in this sort of thing should be allowed to mix with children."

A source at the school said that Blake-Bowell is a wellarrestedregarded and experienced games master, and fanatical about cricket and hockey.

The police swoops, involving more than 100 warrants, also involved houses in Ramsgate, Herne Bay and Sittingbourne.

Officers believe that four of the properties were being used as brothels.

The seven were held in custody on December 13 on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic women and control prostitutes, before being freed on police bail.

A number of the suspects were also quizzed over drug offences. Detective Sergeant Chris Hogben, who led the raids, sympathised with the prostitutes.

He said: "A lot of these people, who are not much more than kids, have very little choice about what happens to them.

"It is a disgusting trade. These people are vilely exploited by criminals, who make large amounts of money out of it."

It is believed that 1,500 women a year are brought into the UK to work as prostitutes.

There are believed to be around 300 brothels in Kent alone - many openly advertised in local newspaper classified advertisements.

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