Convicted of trafficking despite judge’s admission that no woman was “coerced”
In 2005, a Brazilian mother was convicted of trafficking and imprisoned for three years for running a working flat where other immigrant women worked. In court the judge said “none of these women were, in fact, coerced by you into acting as a prostitute . . . you treated them in a kindly and hospitable way”. All her possessions, built up over many years of hard work, were confiscated under the 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act. Her ex-husband tried to get custody of her youngest child and despite living in the UK for 25 years, her British citizenship was withdrawn. Her partner was convicted of “trafficking within the UK” for picking her and another woman up at the airport.
Statement: Convicted as a “trafficker”