‘Slave’ living in attic ‘not paid for 6 years’
FOUR ARRESTED AS MAN CLAIMS HE WAS PUT TO WORK AND DENIED HIS WAGES
A ‘MODERN-DAY slave’ who had been living in an attic has told rescuers he was forced to work without pay for six years.
The Hungarian man was found after officers from the country’s specialist anti-slavery unit raided a number of properties in the Greenacres area of Oldham.
Investigators say the man’s reported ordeal is one of a series of cases where ‘vulnerable’ people are preyed on by others from their country of origin.
The man, in his late fifties, says his exploiters put him to work in a food processing plant and made him collect scrap metal before denying him wages.
Four people have been arrested as part of the investigation, which is codenamed Operation Sidebar.
The man is now safe and is due to be relocated, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) said.
The GLAA, formerly known as the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, was formed after the deaths of 23 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay in 2004.
It was set up to tackle exploitation, human trafficking and modern slavery and officers have police-style powers to arrest, search for and seize evidence.
Estimates from the Home Office put the number of suspected ‘modern-day slaves’ in the UK at between 10,000 to 13,000, although the real figure is feared to be far higher. The GLAA said it had particular focus on car washes as well as industries including cleaning, construction, manufacturing and warehouse working.
The Oldham raids were carried out in late December, but details have just emerged.
A 22-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman were arrested at a property in Greenacres. A 60-year-old man was held at a separate address nearby and 24 hours later, a woman was also arrested. The M.E.N. understands the man rescued was found in the attic of one of those who was arrested.
The four - all Hungarian nationals were held on suspicion of committing offences under the Modern Slavery Act.
They were questioned and released pending further investigation, the GLAA said. Greater Manchester Police provided support during the raid.
The GLAA said the investigation was launched after concerns were raised by supervisors at a food production factory about the condition of another man, 66, who the GLAA said was being driven to and from work by one of the suspects.
He too has been relocated after agreeing to enter the National Referral Mechanism, a process set up by the Government to identify and support victims of suspected human trafficking.
Senior investigating officer Martin Plimmer said: “This appears to be another case of opportunists preying on vulnerable fellow countrymen and exploiting them for their labour.
“While we are still in the very early stages of this investigation, we appear to have uncovered two victims – one of whom claims to have been exploited for a considerable period of time. We have been able to arrest suspects and will now gather evidence.”