TWO men trafficked prostitutes from Romania to Oxford and touted them out to customers throughout the county, a court heard.

Anastassios Papas and another man were behind the “Fun Girls in Oxford” agency which offered sex for money, an Oxford Crown Court jury heard yesterday.

The second defendant, from Bicester, denies conspiracy to traffic women within the UK for sexual exploitation; two counts of trafficking women into the UK for sexual exploitation and trafficking women within the UK for sexual exploitation.

Papas, of Iffley Road, East Oxford, who is being tried in his absence, is charged with five counts of trafficking women within the UK for sexual exploitation; conspiracy to traffic women within the UK for sexual exploitation, controlling prostitution for gain and converting £67,075 of criminal property.

Neil Moore, opening the case for the prosecution, said: “The prosecution say Papas controlled and trafficked prostitutes for some considerable period before his arrest in January (2010).

“He ran an agency, Fun Girls in Oxford, which he advertised in the press and on the Internet using his alias Mark White.

“The website featured images of girls posing in a sexually provocative way.

“A customer would ring or email Mr Papas and he would arrange both ‘in calls and out calls’.

“In either case that involved the movement or transportation of the girls where sexual services were to be offered.”

Mr Moore said the women would charge up to £130 an hour.

About half the money would go to Papas, £20 to a driver if the women were not transported by Papas himself, and the prostitutes would keep the rest.

Mr Moore continued: “In about October 2009, the second defendant became part of the enterprise.

“He already worked as a driver and also arranged for two girls to come over from Romania, and indeed those two girls lived with him until they went home in December 2009.”

Mr Moore said the second defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, planned to open his own agency called “Hot Fun Girls in Oxford”.

After Papas was arrested “he arranged for the two Romanian girls to come back and they were found in his flat in February”.

“He also arranged for a third girl to come over from Romania and work in Newbury,” Mr Moore added.

Jurors heard Papas placed adverts in the Oxford Journal “for about three and a half years before his arrest” at a cost of about £470 every eight weeks.

Mr Moore said he also advertised in the Swindon Advertiser and free ads publication Scoop, both owned by Newsquest, publishers of the Oxford Mail.

Newsquest has since banned all such advertising in its titles.

Phone numbers on the adverts were registered to Papas and the billing address was his partner’s Coco Bay beauty salon, in Iffley Road, Oxford, Mr Moore said.

The trial continues.