A woman accused of running a York brothel wanted to run the city's first grooming salon exclusively for men, a court heard.

Pamela Dawson, aged 45, who has denied the offence, told York Magistrates Court she had no idea her premises in Fishergate were being used for sex acts by women employed by her.

And she said she was unaware that her beauty salon was listed in a guide to massage parlours around the UK.

The premises, opposite a Roman Catholic primary school, were raided by police on July 25 last year.

Two women dressed in high heels and white uniforms were taken away and various items seized, including rubber clothing, condoms and a pornographic film.

But Miss Dawson, of Fishergate, said the items were not hers but belonged to one of the women employed by her.

She told the court that she wanted to cash in on the booming male grooming market after studying beauty therapy at college.

"I wanted to be the first business in York to offer an all-male grooming salon," she said.

Asked by her solicitor, Anthony Sugare, if she took part in prostitution herself, if she let anyone take part in prostitution on her premises, or if she knew that such activity was taking place at her shop, she replied: "No."

Graham Silvester, prosecuting, told the court that police had put the address under surveillance after receiving information about activities there.

Undercover officers were sent in to gather information, and they gave evidence in court from behind screens to protect their identities.

One, identified only as Steve, told the court that the woman massaging him listed for him the various sexual activities offered for £40.

A male client who was in the premises when the house was raided by police, who was identified only as Mr Brown, said in giving evidence that while sex had not explicitly been offered to him during his massage, he has assumed it was available.

"I had hoped sex would follow," he said.

Detective Sergeant Jonathan Reed, who led the raid, told the court that when he entered one of the upstairs rooms at the property he had found a man and a woman naked on a four-poster bed.

Asked under cross examination if Miss Dawson had been present when the house was raided, he said she was not.

An application by the defence to have the case thrown out was rejected, and the case was continuing today.

Updated: 09:15 Friday, February 09, 2001