'Vice ring madam', 80, arrested

Vera Tursi is said to use a walking frame

Police say a woman arrested on suspicion of running a prostitution ring in the US state of New Jersey may have a unique distinction.

At 80 years old, they say, Vera Tursi could be the world's oldest operator in the world's oldest profession.

New Jersey authorities say Mrs Tursi has admitted running prostitutes through the "August Playmates" agency.

Mrs Tursi, who is reported to use an inhaler and a walking frame, was arrested as part of a vice crackdown.

Police raided several illegal prostitution rings masquerading as legal escort agencies.

'Sounded old'

Officers said they began to suspect her advanced age when they spoke to her on the phone during the undercover operation.

She could be heard catching her breath and used old-fashioned language, they said.

"She used the word 'dear', as in, 'That's all-inclusive, dear'," reported the New Jersey Star-Ledger.

"You get a feel for how old someone is when you talk to them," State Police Detective Sergeant Thomas Cornely told the Newark newspaper. "She sounded like an 80-year-old woman."

She is thought to be the oldest suspect in a US prostitution case - though a 78-year-old woman was called "America's oldest madam" after court case in the early 1980s.

Police say Mrs Tursi ran the business from her two-bedroom flat.

She reportedly admitted taking over the business from her daughter, who died a few years ago, to supplement her retirement income.

She is alleged to have skimmed off $60 (£33) from every $160 (£88) clients were charged for an hour with a call girl.

Mrs Tursi faces up to five years in prison if she is found guilty - but police say because of her age, health and clean record, she would be more likely to be given probation.