AN ILLEGAL immigrant who acted as the “go-between for the main man” at a York brothel has been jailed and faces being kicked out of the UK.

Hoang Wing Wang, also known as Ma Lun You, acted as the cook and cleaner at the unlawful business and was in charge of keeping cash to be split between his boss and a prostitute.

But the 24-year-old’s role, which he took to pay off debts, was uncovered following a police surveillance operation last year.

He has now been sentenced to nine months in prison and is likely to be deported when his jail term ends. York Crown Court heard the Lansdowne Terrace brothel came under the police spotlight last July.

Stephanie Hancock, prosecuting, said it was around that time that Wang was recruited to live at the property, and his role was to assist in managing the brothel, which was advertised online with a mobile phone number.

She said the phone number was for a third party.

Ms Hancock said: “Wang would receive a phone call from this third party when a customer was due to attend and would discreetly let them in and direct them towards the prostitute.

“He was also the temporary custodian of money received and, when interviewed, he said he would give half to his boss, who he knew as ‘Mr Chang’, and half to the prostitute.”

She said that when Wang was arrested, he had been in the UK for about a year and had lived in York for five months.

Mark Partridge, for Wang, said: “He would cook, clean, take money to give to his boss and the lady and that was the extent of his involvement, for which he was paid £150 a week.

“He thought he was working at a massage parlour and closed his eyes to what it really was. He owes a lot of money to people back home and this was organised as a way of repaying that debt.”

Sentencing Wang, who admitted acting or assisting in the management of a brothel, Judge Geoffrey Marson said: “This causes enormous concern for householders living nearby.”

He said he accepted Wang was not the organiser, but had played “a significant part”.