Locations
Moorhey Street, Oldham, OL4
Description
Two people have been sentenced for modern slavery offences after women were trafficked from Romania to the UK to work as sex workers in West Yorkshire.
Costel Tambac and Mariana Iova were jailed today after being found guilty by a jury following a trial in July.
The pair, both Romanian nationals, were found to be responsible for controlling the lives of two female victims who were trafficked to the UK from Romania.
Both victims were told they were coming to the UK to work as agency workers in a meat factory.
But in reality, they were “sold” to Tambac and Iova who made them work as sex workers at brothels in the Harehills and Holbeck areas of Leeds, as well as in Dewsbury, Oldham and Nottingham.
The pair seized the money earnt by the victims, leaving them with as little as £10 a day to themselves.
Officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking team began the investigation in 2016 when one of the victims came forward.
She reported to police that she had been trafficked to the UK where she was ‘sold’ to Tambac and Iova. From then on, she was forced to work for them and sexually exploited.
The pair advertised their victims’ services on adult services websites, taking them to agreed locations to provide sexual services when requested.
They controlled their victims by retaining their ID documents and money as well as controlling their lifestyle. They enforced this control by using violence and threats.
Tambac and Iova were each found guilty of two counts of sexual exploitation of a female victim contrary to the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and two counts of controlling prostitution for gain contrary to Section 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Appearing before Leeds Crown Court for sentencing today, Tambac, aged 50, formerly of Moorhey Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester was sentenced to nine years.
Iova, aged 35, also formerly of Moorhey Street, Oldham, was sentenced to eight years.
In 2018, Tambac and Iova fled the UK while they were still under investigation. Officers sought international arrest warrants, and the pair were traced to Amsterdam where they were arrested earlier this year and extradited back to the UK.
Speaking outside the court, Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Helen Steele, said:
“First and foremost, my thoughts go out to the victims who suffered an horrendous ordeal.
“They were brought over to the UK under false pretences by organised criminals where they were sold as a commodity to be financially and sexually exploited through controlled prostitution.
“I hope the guilty verdicts together with the sentences handed down today will bring them some comfort as they continue with the process of rebuilding their lives.”
“I would also like to thank them for their bravery, their patience and their resilience as we pursued our investigation.
“Our investigation was complex and began nine years ago when one of the victims came forward.
“It was the first ever investigation for West Yorkshire Police to conduct as a Joint Investigation Team with the Romanian authorities, who I would also like to thank as it meant we could maximise all investigational opportunities.
“The Joint Investigation Team also led to the Romanian authorities convicting the people responsible for trafficking the victims to the UK.
“A successful prosecution would not have been possible without the assistance of colleagues in Romania.”