Schoolgirl earned £14,000 as a prostitute

A schoolgirl earned about £14,000 in two months by working as a prostitute.

The 15-year-old, who cannot be named, is understood to have earned more than £1,700 every weekend by working for an escort agency in Newcastle.

The teenager's lucrative career ended after a teacher found her bag at school and found condoms, lubricant and details of the agency she worked for.

The school, in South Shields, contacted police who took the teenager home and the property was searched.

During the search, in November last year, police found £8,060 hidden in the loft and the money was seized.

The details emerged during a proceeds of crime hearing at South Tyneside Magistrates' Court on 13 February.

Asa Anderson, who was representing Northumbria Police, told court: "The money was seized after police received a phone call from a school where a teacher found a pupil's bag.

"The bag was found containing certain items."

Magistrates granted the application and the cash has since been forfeited.

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: "A 44-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of inciting child prostitution and subsequently released with no further action being taken."

Michele Elliott, from Kidscape, said: "Child prostitution is a hidden problem that nobody wants to talk about.

"The reality is that there is a lot of children out there doing what this child did."

Wendy Shepherd, from Barnardo's Sexual Exploitation Children Outreach Services, told the Shields Gazette: "It is not unusual that young people are coerced and groomed into sexual exploitative relationships and they don't always understand fully what is happening."