Modern slavery
Briton admits exploitation of man forced to live in shed for 40 years
Peter S. leaving court in Carlisle on Monday. He is said to have kept a man as a slave
© Owen Humphreys / Picture Alliance
In England a man has been held like a slave for 40 years. The victim lived in inhumane conditions and worked for twelve euros a day. Now his exploiter has confessed.
A 56-year-old man in north-west England pleaded guilty on Tuesday to exploiting a man who lived as a slave in a garden shed for 40 years. The victim had already been rescued in October 2018 when officials from the Gangmasters and Labor Abuse Authority (GLAA), which works to protect vulnerable and exploited workers, searched a trailer park in the city of Carlisle. They discovered the man in his inhumane dwelling, which was in worse condition than a kennel on the same property.
“Our Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit worked with @UK_Glaa and @Cumbriapolice to rescue a slavery victim who was forced to live in a shed for 40 years,” the National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Tuesday Twitter with. “Today the man who exploited him was convicted.”
Peter S. and his father, who was also accused, initially denied the allegation of conspiracy to exploit a vulnerable victim. The father, also named Peter S., died in September at the age of 81. His son now changed his testimony at Carlisle Crown Court. He has been released on bail and is due to appear in the same court for sentencing on February 4.
The victim, who is now in her early 60s, appeared disheveled and agitated when he was discovered and said she had lived in the dwelling for 40 years, the GLAA reported. According to its own statement, it worked on farms and did painting, roofing and plastering work and received the equivalent of twelve euros a day for it.
“For four decades he was held like a slave”
The six square meter shed was in poor condition. There was only one window that could not be closed completely. An old electric heater with damaged wiring was dumped in the corner of the shed and there was no other heater inside. Otherwise there would have been dirty duvets and pillows, a small TV and a chair in it. In contrast, officials noted that another shed on the property, where the family dog roosted, was in far better condition.
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“It’s something I still can’t fathom,” said lead investigator Martin Plimmer. “For four decades he was held like a slave.” It was “a really harrowing investigation,” Plimmer said. “In all my years in law enforcement I have never known of a modern slavery case where the exploitation has taken place over such a long period of time.” At this point, however, he thinks primarily of the victim. “Let’s remember that up until a few years ago he was exploited throughout his adult life.”
The prosecutor responsible, Barbara Webster, described how the victim lives today: The man has accommodation with which he is extremely satisfied, Webster reported according to the BBC. He is also regularly visited by a supervisor who checks how he is doing. “They will take care of him until the end of his life.”
Sources: Gangmasters and Labor Abuse Authority, National Crime Agency on Twitter, BBC, Sky News