A judge has revealed that police allow massage-parlour prostitution to exist – to protect women's safety.

The policy came to light in a case involving two Leicester brothels.

While sentencing a woman for controlling prostitutes, Judge Simon Hammond said: "The policy in Leicester is to allow them to exist. I'm not being critical of this."

The judge made the comments after reading letters from the women at the massage parlours in which they said how "safe" they felt working for Shani Fergie, 51, who oversaw prostitutes at both.

After the case, Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon, head of police in the city, said that in policing brothels, which are illegal, officers focused on those "where we believe people are being exploited or are vulnerable".

Investigations into the two parlours began as a result of unrelated inquiries into the activities of Fergie's then lover, Jarod Yusuf, 35.

He was found hiding in Fergie's attic during a raid – when officers stumbled across paperwork relating to Seductions, in Woodgate, and Pleasures, in Melton Road.

The court heard that, despite an open-minded attitude to massage parlours, police decided to prosecute.

They also found evidence of Yusuf's money laundering of tens of thousands of pounds in relation to Seductions, which Fergie and Yusuf were jointly renting from landlord Nigel Burdett.

Jonathan Straw, prosecuting at Leicester Crown Court, said Fergie was the "meet and greet" receptionist at both.

He said two undercover "test purchase" officers visited the parlours, paying a £10 entrance fee, and both were offered "a range of sexual services".

Carl Richmond, for Fergie, who has no previous convictions, said she fled from an abusive marriage to a woman's refuge and, in financial desperation, took the job as receptionist, earning £300 a week.

She was not profit-sharing with Yusuf, although they had joint tenancy of Seductions.

Mr Richmond said: "It was clean, safe and friendly environment for the girls."

Mr Straw had told the court that Yusuf used a number of bank accounts to launder cash, with deposits of £137,000 for 2007 and, at another time, £56,000 through another account.

Peter Woodall, for Yusuf, said: "There was no coercion, oppression, trafficking of any kind and no drugs."

Tony Davis, for Burdett, said he made about £2,600 profit from sub-letting the Woodgate property. He played no part in running Seductions.

Judge Simon Hammond said: "If it wasn't for the police sanctioning it, to the police and girls' advantage, they wouldn't exist."

Chief Superintendent Nixon said: "We routinely carry out planned policing operations around massage parlours.

"We also respond appropriately to any concerns from members of the public regarding a massage parlour."

Fergie, of Broadholme Street, Nottingham, admitted controlling prostitution for gain at both Leicester parlours, from November 2007 to December 2008.

She was given a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for a year.

Yusuf, formerly of the same address, admitted controlling prostitution for gain at Seductions and possessing the criminal proceeds of prostitution.

He was jailed for 12 months, to run concurrently with a three-and-a-half year minimum public protection term he is already serving for an unrelated wounding with intent.

Burdett, 47, of Wigston Lane, Aylestone, admitted acquiring criminal property, between the same dates, knowing that rental money he received for the Seductions premises was the proceeds of prostitution.

He was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for a year.