Two men have had jail sentences reduced on appeal after having been convicted of living off the earnings of prostitution and holding Pace’s Guesthouse in Sliema as a brothel.

Ian Camilleri and Ernst Pulis, were jailed for two years each after the first court found them guilty of prostituting women at the Sliema guesthouse. It resulted that on May 14, 2005 a search was carried out on the guesthouse in connection with investigations concerning prostitution, brothels and trafficking in human beings.

A second search was held in Adam’s guest house in Paceville where documents concerning the Sliema guesthouse were found. Four men and three women were found at the Sliema guesthouse, all of whom were arrested.

Taking the witness stand Josephine Chircop said that she used to go the guesthouse together with other women to prostitute themselves. The women were Maltese, Chinese and Russian.

She said the men would go to the guesthouse, choose a woman and then go up to a room. She would pay for the room ask for a condom and go up.

Mr Camilleri in a police statement said he used to look after the guesthouses' administration. When asked if it was used as a brothel he said 'sort of'. He would rent the room for Lm8.50 for half an hour , and for people he did not know Lm10.

The court of appeal, after taking into consideration that the crime could not be proved to be a continuous crime reduced their sentence from two years each to 16 months for Mr Pulis and 18 months for Mr Camilleri.