A third person has been jailed following the first case to be tried in the East Midlands under new Modern Slavery Act legislation.
Shomsu Miah, aged 44, of Russell Street, Forest Fields, had previously admitted being one of three people to force a Hungarian woman into prostitution while she was kept against her will at properties in Nottingham in August and September last year.
Hungarian nationals Istvan Vinter, 57, and Maria Gaspar, 23, were jailed for eight and six years respectively at Nottingham Crown Court last month.
Appearing at the same court today (Friday 8 April), Miah was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.
The woman, and another who had been sold for a sham marriage in London, had been trafficked to the UK by Vinter and Gaspar, who had promised them work in a hotel.
Once in the UK, the women, who did not speak English, were then ‘sold’ to buyers or made to work as prostitutes, Miah assisted by facilitating accommodation in Nottingham and working with Vinter and Gaspar in attempting to sell one of the victims in a sham marriage. Miah had previously travelled to Hungary to meet Vinter and Gaspar before the trafficking into the UK took place.
The victim in Nottingham was forced to have sex with men and had her identity documents taken from her so she could not flee.
She was also offered for marriage to one man and even taken to a nightclub where she was offered for sex to another.
Nottinghamshire Police found her on 17 September at a property in Woodborough Road. Detectives also travelled to Hungary to interview the other victim, who had managed to escape and return home.
Miah, Vinter and Gaspar were charged with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate travel of another person with a view to their exploitation under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to a member state.
Detective Inspector Justine Wilson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "Individuals such as Miah are providing a market for the traffickers in the UK, and are prepared to take advantage their victims’ vulnerability by holding them against their well or profiting from them by forcing them into sexual exploitation.
"While Vinter and Gaspar were the ones to traffick the woman into the country, the fact that Miah had previously met them and then colluded with them to carry out this appalling deception was damning in the eyes of the court.
"Hopefully, these sentences, totalling more than 16 years will send out a message to traffickers and to those UK nationals who facilitate this trade that the police and the courts will stop at nothing to ensure these crimes are properly and effectively dealt with through the criminal justice system."
DI Wilson said: "Once again, I would like to praise the courage of the victims in this case who have been through an utterly horrible ordeal and yet returned to the UK to give evidence against those that had exploited them. I would also like to recognise and praise the investigating officers in this case for their care and professional dedication in supporting the victims and witnesses."
No comments:
Post a Comment