A 14-year-old girl agreed to work at a Huntingdon brothel when a client was kept waiting by her older sister, a jury heard yesterday (Tuesday). The court was told the teenager earned just £40 for her first job and agreed to work for the rest of the day

A 14-year-old girl agreed to work at a Huntingdon brothel when a client was kept waiting by her older sister, a jury heard yesterday (Tuesday).

The court was told the teenager earned just £40 for her first "job" and agreed to work for the rest of the day to get some money for Christmas.

John Dunsmore, 49, denies running a brothel from Suffolk House in Mayfield Road, Huntingdon using underage prostitutes. He is accused of controlling child prostitutes aged 14 and 17, between August 1 and December 2 last year.

Outlining the case to a jury at Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday) prosecutor, William Carter, said: "There were various young women who the crown say were used by Dunsmore as prostitutes from that flat. Two of them were - to his knowledge, because he was told - under the age of 18."

Mr Dunsmore was said to have advertised for escorts in a local newspaper from about the middle of August. The adverts read: "Ladies available for massage" and also stated that female staff were required. A mobile phone number was also given.

During an interview with police, played to the court on DVD, the 14-year-old explained how her older teenage sister had texted Mr Dunsmore asking for a job after seeing the advertisement. When asked by officers what she herself understood by escort work, the teenager explained how men would call up, ask what girls were available and then meet them at Mr Dunsmore's address in Suffolk House or make "out calls".

Jobs included full sex the 14-year-old said, although she told officers, she did not actually know what some other services meant.

She became involved after visiting Suffolk House to keep her sister company. "One time when I was up there at a weekend, she was doing a job already and there was this other guy waiting, getting a bit stressy. I got £40 for that and I was like, I may as well carry on doing it for the rest of the day to get some money for Christmas presents."

She described how she told Mr Dunsmore she would not continue but said he would often call her mobile.

"I worked for a couple of days just so he'd shut up," she said.

The court heard that her older sister also went back to work for the defendant until at the end of October, when she believed she was pregnant and wanted to stop. Mr Dunsmore was said to have tried to persuade her to continue working, saying she would not show for a couple of months, the prosecutor said.

Another 17-year-old saw Mr Dunsmore's advertisement and also texted him for a job. She initially told him she was 18 but then admitted she was only 17, the court heard.

A complaint was made to police and Mr Dunsmore was arrested on December 1. On searching his flat, police found pricelists, diaries, draft adverts and his business mobile phone containing incriminating text messages, the court heard.

The trial continues.