Voodoo rituals used by nurse to traffic women for sex
A NURSE who used voodoo rituals to traffic five Nigerian women to Germany to work as prostitutes has become the first person to be convicted under new modern slavery laws.
Josephine Iyamu made her victims swear oaths of loyalty to her on pain of death and forced them to eat chicken hearts and drink blood containing worms during “juju” ceremonies.
Charging them tens of thousands of pounds, the 51-year-old then arranged for the women to be trafficked from Nigeria through Libya and Italy and eventually to Germany where they were forced into the sex industry.
Liberian-born Iyamu became a British citizen in 2009 after being allowed to stay because of her nursing qualifications. Yesterday, she was found guilty of five counts of arranging or facilitating travel for sexual exploitation after a 10-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Iyamu is the first person to be convicted under Modern Slavery Act laws passed in 2015, which allow prosecutions of British citizens for sexual trafficking taking place overseas.
Investigators from the National Crime Agency (NCA) found that despite having a £14,500 salary from her work as an agency nurse, she spent thousands on air travel and owned a house in Nigeria with servants’ quarters.
Prosecutors said the voodoo rituals gave Iyamu crushing psychological control over the women.
Simon Davis, prosecuting, told jurors: “She was there on the mobile phone along the way but her real role was at the end of their journey – when it came to getting money from the women and making a profit out of their exploitation. The debts incurred by the women were enforced through fear. Each of the women were put through what is known to some as a voodoo ceremony.”
Kay Mellor, NCA operations manager, said: “I commend the bravery of the five women who came forward and recounted the abuse they suffered.”
Sentencing will be on Wednesday.