A law graduate who worked as a brothel receptionist has been convicted of money laundering, but praised by the judge for her excellent treatment of prostitutes.

Jade Lawson, a 27 year old graduate of Hertfordshire University, was employed by her brother to run the front desk of the Steam and Sun Health Club in Camden, north London. Although the business promoted itself as a legitimate health and massage club (staffed, according to its website, with "international ladies"), when police raided it last February they found 27 women in their underwear, people having sex and £3,000 of cash in a jar.

A health club yesterday

Lawson was cleared of keeping a brothel, but found guilty of taking £30k despite knowing it was the proceeds of crime. Her brother, who earned over £1 million a year from the brothel, received a two year sentence.

However despite that, Judge Peter Murphy seemed pretty impressed with the duo. He said the Lawsons deserved lenient sentences for creating a pleasant working environment for the prostitutes, many of whom praised them to police. The Lawsons let them keep all their earnings and instead made their money by charging punters a separate commission and by running an expensive bar. Although they did email their staff to remind them to offer a "complete service" even to fat and ugly customers.

Judge Murphy called Lawson, who spent her ill-gotten gains repaying her student debts, a "very capable young woman" and said her stint in a brothel was "an aberration which is unlikely to be repeated".