Four Frenchmen made legal history when they appeared in a Bordeaux courtroom charged with having sexual intercourse with prostitutes.

It is the first time French authorities have targeted the clients of prostitutes, rather than just the prostitutes themselves.

The case was brought under an ancient and little-known legal provision which had generally been considered obsolete.

This is a form of modern slavery that we cannot endure

Christian Fremont

If convicted of "sexual exhibition", the four men could face sentences of up to a year in prison and a 15,000 Euro fine.

The proceedings follow the launch by local government officials last February of a plan to undermine the sex trade by targeting clients.

Prostitution as such is not illegal in France, but pimping and the overt sale of sexual services are.

The resurrection of the ancient law allows the Bordeaux justice system to press ahead with the case despite the absence of a French law specifically outlawing the hire of prostitutes.

But a lawyer for the men on trial said the law was being twisted to make a point.

The four men, who range in age from 25 to 31 years, were picked up by the authorities in June and July. At least one of them is married.

Eastern Europeans

The four young women accused alongside their alleged clients range in age from 19 to 25 years. Two are Bulgarian, one is Romanian and the another is Albanian.

Many of the latest wave of prostitutes have come to France from eastern Europe.

"This is a form of modern slavery that we cannot endure," the prefect of Gironde, Christian Fremont said.

"Most of these young women have been beaten, raped, have been threatened with reprisals against their families, and some of them are minors."