Cash-strapped Brighton student turns to prostitution (From The Argus)

Cash-strapped Brighton student turns to prostitution

4:00pm Friday 19th September 2008

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A cash-strapped university student is selling sex to avoid going into massive debt.

In an exclusive interview with The Argus, the young woman told how she turned to prostitution in January to pay back student loans.

The University of Brighton second year science student claims she began selling her body because working long hours in a bar to fund her course left her with no time to study.

She said another woman on her course worked in the same massage parlour.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she became a prostitute because she could earn as much in one night selling sex as she did in a week behind the bar.

And although the student says she usually uses contraception, she says she is so cash-strapped she is willing to allow men to sleep with her without a condom for £400 extra.

She said: “I got into it because I didn’t have any money. I don’t want to leave with tens of thousands of pounds of debt.

“Most of the students who go to university are middle class and get help from their families. But I’m paying for everything myself and get no parental support.

“I worked in a massage parlour in Brighton initially. It is called in-house, and there are a couple of students who do that.

“If a client is prepared to pay to sleep with me without a condom I would hope they’re not the type of person that would have anything. I get checked out quite regularly.”

The student, who wants to be an environmental scientist after graduation, receives a £2,000 grant and £12,000 student loan each year.

But she tries not to touch the loan and pays back as much as possible each year through her earnings as a prostitute.

She said: “Although some students do it, I wouldn’t recommend it because it can really jade you.

“I have had a few difficult customers. Those who do drugs are particularly frightening. One client called me up to smoke crack with him.

“He wanted to get me addicted so I would sleep with him in return for crack.”

David Lepper, MP for Brighton Pavilion, urged her to contact the student union and welfare office to find out about all the financial help available to her.

He added: “It is wrong that someone should feel this is the only way they can finance their education.”

A university spokesman said: “Apart from the university’s income-related bursaries and scholarships, there are also a number of additional funding opportunities for students who may find themselves in financial difficulty.

“The university also has a dedicated area both on its website and in various university publications providing in-depth student finance information.”

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