"Every aspect of their lives was controlled"
By Lin Taylor
LONDON, June 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A British court on Wednesday jailed three Polish men for trafficking workers into Britain, luring them with the promise of well-paid jobs before stealing their wages and beating them when they tried to escape, prosecutors said.
The men, Robert Dolinski, 38, Andrzej Laskowski, 37, and Kewin Laskowski, 19, all pleaded guilty to modern slavery offences at Leeds Crown Court in northeastern England.
The sentenced ranged from 12 months to more than three years.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the captives had their identification documents and bank cards confiscated, and were forced to repay costs incurred for their housing and transportation into the country.
One man who tried to escape was beaten, while another was punched for refusing to decorate his flat, CPS said.
"The treatment of these vulnerable people was shocking. Every aspect of their lives was controlled ... and faced the threat of violence if they failed to comply," senior Crown Prosecutor Jim Hope said in a statement.
"The victims lived and worked alongside colleagues in factories and warehouses and yet were so terrified, they were extremely reluctant to tell anyone about their plight," he said.
Two women, Maria Pawlowska, 34, and Agnieszka Laskowska, 34, admitted fraud, but were released having already served the six months they were given, the CPS said.
There are an estimated 13,000 victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic servitude in Britain.
In 2015 the UK passed tough anti-slavery legislation introducing life sentences for traffickers and forcing companies to disclose what they are doing to make sure their supply chains are free from slavery.
Last month, four men were also convicted for trafficking Polish workers into Britain, tricking them into low-paid jobs and taking their wages.
(Reporting by Lin Taylor @linnytayls, Editing by Astrid Zweynert @azweynert. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, global land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, women's rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org to see more stories)
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