UK 'madam' denies French charges

A British woman on trial in Paris has denied running an international high-class prostitution ring.

Margaret MacDonald looked calm as she appeared in a French court for the first time - a year after her arrest.

She says she was running an escort agency and was unaware of claims that some of her 450 employees sold sex.

Ms MacDonald, who faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, is said to have had business leaders, politicians and celebrities among her clients.

'Sophisticated and classy'

The Sorbonne educated 43-year-old, who was brought up in Windsor, Berkshire, was arrested in May 2002 in Paris.

Investigators subsequently discovered what they believe to be a list of more than 450 prostitutes - including about 30 men - on her laptop computer.

The prostitutes are said to have charged about 1,000 euros per hour (about £700), 40% of which allegedly went to Ms MacDonald.

The French police have described Ms MacDonald as "sophisticated, classy and extremely efficient".

She is a highly qualified businesswoman who speaks eight languages including Greek, Arabic and Japanese.

Subsidiary network

Ms MacDonald apparently operated from luxury hotels in France, the US, the UK, Austria and Italy, running her affairs from multiple mobile phones.

This in France is being compared to the last major case or a madam being put on trial, but that was back in the 70s Caroline Wyatt Convent girl on vice queen charge

She came to the attention of the police after being named as the overall boss by a 21-year-old German woman who ran a subsidiary network of prostitutes.

Police said Ms Macdonald came from a middle-class background, growing up in the home counties of England and attending two convent schools.

She moved to France in 1984 to study at one of the country's top business schools, before attending the Sorbonne in Paris where she perfected her language skills.

The BBC's Paris correspondent, Caroline Wyatt, said the case had fascinated the French public, with many people keen to know exactly who her high profile clients were.

"This in France is being compared to the last major case or a madam being put on trial, but that was back in the 70s...(it attracted) an awful lot of attention because the little black book did contain very well know names."

The case continues.