High living of the £1m slave masters
Father and son lured workers and paid them just £5 a week
A FATHER and son who ran a modern-day slavery ring were caught after arrogantly posing with sports cars and gold jewellery.
Petr Makula and his son Mario lured Eastern European men to Britain with the promise of a job, good wages and a better life.
In reality the recruits were forced to work for a pittance and live in squalor while the Makulas pocketed at least £900,000 in wages meant for the workers.
Makula Sr, 48, posted photographs of himself on luxury holidays in Dubai while claiming he could not afford to pay those who worked for him in a factory and at a car wash.
His son, 26, shared pictures showing him driving a powerful sports car and posing next to other luxury vehicles including a Range Rover and an Audi.
The images were in stark contrast with the miserable existence of the men they exploited, who were forced to sleep on the floors or in bunk beds in a cramped house in Dover.
Up to 19 men at a time lived in the four-bedroom house with limited access to hot water, electricity or central heating, and had to share a food budget of just £100 a week.
In addition, rent was taken out of their wages, leaving some earning only £5 a week.
A court heard that the Makulas pocketed more than £27,000 in unpaid wages from a single worker over four years.
Many of the workers spoke little English and were virtually prisoners as they had no money or family and friends in Britain. Those who spoke out were threatened and beaten by the father. His son recruited the workers, often targeting homeless men, drug addicts and alcoholics sleeping rough in the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Canterbury Crown Court heard the men were put to work in a tile factory and a car and truck wash, where one said he had to work 36 hours straight. They used their meagre food budget to make one basic meal a day, which usually consisted of pasta or potatoes in sauce.
officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate launched an investigation after one of the workers went to police in January last year. They found an operation dating back to 2007.
The Makulas, originally from the Czech Republic, were convicted of modern slavery and people trafficking offences following a three-month trial.
Jurors heard there could have been dozens of victims, although the charges related to 15 men who were traced by police.
Detective Inspector James Derham said: ‘They made no secret of the fact they were living the high life, posting images on social media while flaunting the proceeds of their crimes.
‘what was less obvious was the harm they were causing to their workers, who were forced to endure horrendous living conditions with virtually no money.’
Petr Makula was jailed for eight and a half years, and his son for four and a half years – with Judge Rupert Lowe saying Mario had been raised to think exploiting people was ‘normal’.
‘Flaunting their proceeds’