Man who allowed brothel to operate from sauna removed from landlord register

An Edinburgh man convicted of enabling the running of a brothel has been struck from the landlord register.

At a licensing meeting on Monday, councillors removed Ian Haig from the register, meaning he can no longer let out his two properties in the city.

Haig pleaded guilty on July 3, 2025, to allowing the Scorpio Leisure sauna he ran to be used as a brothel.

Police were drawn to his case after a woman died inside the Albion Road premises on Albion Road in 2022.

Police Scotland said at the time that the death was in ‘non-suspicious circumstances’.

But during the investigation into the death, police interviewed staff and clients inside the sauna and found it was being used for prostitution.

Rooms were stocked with a bed, mirrors, wipes, lubricants and shower gel.

According to a report before councillors, he failed to declare this conviction when applying to be entered onto the landlord register.

Haig was not present at the meeting, nor was any representative for him.

Information about his conviction from a letter submitted by Police Scotland was not read out during the meeting, in a break from the norm for the sub-committee.

Conservative councillor and committee convener Joanna Mowat said the reading of this information was suspended on Monday to accelerate the pace of the meeting.

The agenda was unusually large, consisting of more than 30 items to be discussed.

Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Caldwell asked a representative of Police Scotland present in the meeting to clarify some details of his conviction.

He said: “The headlines say that Mr Haig was involved in the operation of a brothel, but the actual conviction [according to the police letter] was a person in charge of a premises for brothel prostitution.

“Would you be able to give more information about his involvement?”

Acting sergeant Christopher Green replied that he was only able to reference the material which had been included in the police letter.

Cllr Mowat said: “I think, given the nature of the offence, we have no option but to strike Mr Haig from the register.”

The committee agreed, and removed Haig from the register of landlords.

Monday’s licensing meeting saw four landlords struck off the register, with a decision on another landlord delayed.

Licensing meetings in the year prior to the one on Monday have seen very few landlords up for removal from the register.