A convicted paedophile, who tricked a 13-year-old girl into stripping off on an internet webcam, has admitted allowing prostitutes to use his home for sex.

Julian Farrell, 51, appeared at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court yesterday after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to knowingly permitting his premises to be used for the purposes of prostitution.

The offence was committed at his flat, Number 11, in Ruby House, Dyson Street – in the heart of Bradford’s red light district – between October 1 last year and April 9 this year.

Prosecutor Abdul Shakoor told Deputy District Judge Nick Hayles that on March 28 police were on duty in the red light area when they saw a known prostitute walking up and down in Sunbridge Road.

A car pulled up and she got in. Police stopped the car and she was given a caution for soliciting.

Mr Shakoor said that shortly before 7pm on April 9 officers saw the same prostitute walking in Sunbridge Road with a white male.

A few minutes later the officers were carrying out a routine check at Ruby House when the prostitute walked to the entrance with another man, and entered the flats. She was heard to press the buzzer to Farrell’s flat and say: “Let me in, I’ve got a customer.”

Police saw them enter the flat. They knocked on the door and were allowed in.

The officers opened a bedroom door and saw the man and the prostitute laid half on the bed. They were arrested.

The defendant entered the flat a little later and confirmed everyone at the flat had permission to be there. He was cautioned and arrested.

Mr Shakoor said that during interview, Farrell told police he had been permitting sex workers to bring “punters” to the flat until four weeks before. He knew they were punters and knew they were receiving sexual services.

The prosecutor said Farrell had four convictions for 39 offences. They included convictions, in February 2007, for 21 counts of possessing indecent images of children, and ten of distributing them, and five counts of inciting sexual activity with a female under 16.

Farrell was jailed for five and a half years for those offences and made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), restricting contact with children after his release.

Farrell’s solicitor, Kam Dhesi, said his client had pleaded guilty, on April 24, to permitting his premises to be used for prostitution and the case had been adjourned for the local authority to apply for an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO). Mr Dhesi said the order had been drafted and the application was not contested.

Helen Smith, of Bradford’s Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, told the court that Farrell had been evicted from the Ruby House flat. He was now living at a terraced house in Abcot Street, Barkerend, Bradford.

Deputy District Judge Hayles sent the case to the crown court for sentence.

Farrell also pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching an SOPO, at Ruby House, on February 19 this year, which will also be sentenced at the crown court. He faces six other breach charges which he denies and they will be tried at the crown court.