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He Simply Wanted His Own Toy

Judge Stephen John was practically sputtering. “How do you manage to evaluate your services — sex — at 20,000 pounds a week?” he demanded. Twenty thousand pounds sterling is a bit over US$30,000. Not just for one week, either: prosecutors noted that Paul Hopes, 59, a finance manager for Toys ’R’ Us for 23 years, paid Dawn Dunbar in excess of 1,750,000 pounds — or more than US$2.7 million — and she had met Hopes on the first day she started work as an escort. Prosecutors say Hopes paid her from the 3,683,592.67 pounds he embezzled from the toy store chain. “It wasn’t me that was putting the worth on that,” Dunbar told the judge. “It was Mr. Hopes paying what he thought it was worth.” It was revealed in court that Hopes was also supporting four other call girls. (RC/London Telegraph) ...Hopes’ rationale: it was still cheaper than a divorce.