IT WAS A jail sentence of seven years for seven offences of holding a person in slavery or servitude for Leyton man David Lupu, 29. The sentence was handed down at the Inner London Crown Court, along with a slavery and trafficking prevention order.
The Metropolitan Police Modern Slavery and Kidnap Unit sprang into action on 3rd September last year after two Romanian men went to Forest Gate police station. They had come to the UK to work in the construction industry – and they were complaining about the conditions they were living and working in.
The police provided the men with somewhere safe to stay and then took detailed statements from them. The statements described how the men had been promised jobs for £50 a day and decent accommodation. Reality was very different.
Fifteen men lived in the two one bedroom flats which Lupu provided. There were not enough beds for everyone to sleep at the same time, so some of the men had to drag in some mattresses they found abandoned on the streets. David Lupu dictated what they did, including whether they went out. He provided only basic food and restricted their use of the washing machine and bathroom.
When it came to jobs, reality was also less than had been promised. Their ID cards were taken away and they were told they had to pay hundreds of pounds for permits and certificates necessary for them to start working.
In August 2017 the two men began their first job – a demolition job in Lancaster Gate. At the end of the month they asked when they would be paid: Lupu’s response was to threaten to have them beaten to death.
The two men were able to escape from their accommodation on 3rd September, when Lupu was away on a trip to Romania. Lupu returned on 6th September, and police raided the property and arrested him. Lupu refused to answer police questions and he was charged on 7th September. He was convicted and sentenced after a trial which lasted five weeks.
Detective Constable Marie Marshall of the Met’s Modern Slavery and Kidnap Unit said, “When interviewed by officers, the men said they felt like they were treated like animals. The Metropolitan Police Service will continue to protect victims of labour exploitation and seek to dismantle criminal groups intent on bringing misery to people’s lives. We will continue to work with Europol and our international law enforcement partners to tackle Modern Slavery in London.”
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