A husband 'hired out’ his wife for sex with 2,742 different clients in just four years, a court heard today.

The 54-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made the equivalent of more than £5000 a month through the suburban prostitution business.

As his wife, who is 46, welcomed clients, he would sit outside their home in Meaux, north of Paris, in the family car, along with their five-year-old child.

A husband 'hired out’ his wife for sex with 2,742 different clients in just four years, a court heard today

Emmanuel Dupic, prosecutor at the town’s criminal court, said: ‘The husband exercised a psychological power over his wife, preventing her from stopping submitting herself to the sexual needs of customers who were sometimes very tough.’

The couple, who have been married for 10 years, were arrested last Tuesday, but only the man was charged with pimping, and faces a decade in prison.

Prostitution is legal in France, but it is against the law to solicit for business. The man is said to have used four internet sites and text messages to organise clients for his wife.