A MAN caught with a prostitute in his car has been found guilty of kerb crawling in Ipswich's red light district.Turkay Balciner was found guilty in his absence following a trial at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court yesterday .

A MAN caught with a prostitute in his car has been found guilty of kerb crawling in Ipswich's red light district.

Turkay Balciner was found guilty in his absence following a trial at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court yesterday .

Balciner, of no fixed abode but who previously gave an address in Foxglove Avenue, Needham Market, pleaded not guilty after being caught by plain clothes police officers with a known prostitute in his car.

At the trial, the court heard from Mark Bursell, prosecuting, that he was seen by two officers stopping his white Ford Escort van, in Portman Road on October 22.

Donna Drewry, who was known to the officers as a prostitute working in the area, was seen to get into the passenger seat before Balciner drove off in the direction of Prince's Street.

Giving evidence to the court, Pc Paul Dean said he was co-ordinating Operation Impression, a crackdown on men soliciting women for sex in the red light district, when he spotted Balciner's vehicle at around 11.15pm.

When Balciner drove off, he radioed colleagues in another unmarked police car and after tracking the van to where it had been parked nearby in Chalon Street, moved in to make the arrest.

He said: “We waited about 30 seconds, which is usual practice, then used our cars to block his vehicle's path in case he tried to drive off.

“I ran towards the passenger side and saw the girl looking very cross, and the male in the car was pulling the zipper up on his trousers.

“He looked very shocked when he saw me and my colleagues peering in through the window.”

Balciner was arrested on suspicion of kerb crawling and taken to Sudbury police station, where he denied paying Ms Drewry for sex.

Reading from a statement given by Balciner in interview, Mr Bursell said Balciner claimed Ms Drewry got into his car uninvited and he had no intention of having intercourse with her.

When asked to explain why his trousers had been undone, he said: “I can't, that's not possible, they were just open.”

Defending Balciner, Matthew Edwards said: “There is no evidence from the police to suggest he solicited her, in fact it was her who solicited him.

“The potential to cause a nuisance to the general public in that part of town at 11.15pm is very minimal.”

However after deliberation by the magistrates Balciner was found guilty of persistently soliciting a person for prostitution from a vehicle and fined £100 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £100.

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