Inside the Modern British Slave Business | ENDEVR Documentary
Summary
TLDRThe video highlights the chilling reality of modern slavery in the UK, despite the country's historical abolition of the practice over 200 years ago. It revolves around the investigation of various cases, primarily focusing on the brutal exploitation of vulnerable individuals by the Connors family, who ran a construction business that operated under slave-like conditions. The narrative outlines the discovery of Christopher Nichols' remains and chronicles the challenges faced by laborers who were coerced into terrifying working and living situations. The documentary sheds light on the extensive operation of organized crime in Britain and emphasizes the urgent need for societal awareness and legislative action to combat this hidden yet pervasive issue.
Takeaways
- 📈 Modern slavery affects around 13,000 people in the UK.
- 🕵️♂️ The Connors family exploited vulnerable individuals for labor.
- ⚖️ New anti-slavery legislation is being implemented.
- 🔍 Victims often face physical and psychological abuse.
- 🎥 Awareness is crucial to combat modern slavery.
- 🏚️ Many victims live in terrible conditions with no basic amenities.
- 📊 Slavery is a lucrative global industry generating $150 billion annually.
- 🌍 Victims come from various backgrounds, including migrants.
- 🤝 Society needs to question who is behind the products and services we use.
- 🚨 Organized crime gangs exploit individuals on the streets.
Timeline
- 00:00:00 - 00:05:00
The video discusses modern slavery in Britain, presenting shocking statistics that suggest there are 13,000 people trapped in this hidden underworld 200 years after Britain abolished slavery. It highlights the organized crime aspect and the alarming rise in numbers despite the government's efforts against this crime.
- 00:05:00 - 00:10:00
The narrative begins with an investigation in Cheltenham, where a gruesome discovery of a human head was made, leading to the identification of Christopher Nichols, who had disappeared under suspicious circumstances in 2000. The investigation uncovers the dark realities of slavery still occurring in modern Britain.
- 00:10:00 - 00:15:00
Christopher Nichols' remains were found in a garden owned by an Irish traveler family, the Connors, who were running a block paving business with their workers living in horrific conditions. Witness testimonies reveal the violent and controlling nature of the Connors, illustrating how they exploited vulnerable individuals for labor.
- 00:15:00 - 00:20:00
The investigation into Christopher's case reveals a pattern of abuse and exploitation of workers by the Connors, who were known to beat them for not bringing in work and denying them food. Surveillance operations confirmed allegations of mistreatment and poor living conditions of unpaid laborers.
- 00:20:00 - 00:25:00
After gathering evidence against the Connors, police launched a raid, rescuing 16 workers who recounted tales of slavery and abuse. Some were held for over 30 years, leading to the arrest of the Connors and their family members, who were charged with human trafficking and slavery offenses.
- 00:25:00 - 00:30:00
The Connors’ lifestyle contrasted sharply with the conditions of their workers, highlighting the exploitation further. Investigations into the financial benefits they gained from slavery revealed significant wealth accumulated through the suffering of their workers.
- 00:30:00 - 00:35:00
Several legal actions followed the raid, resulting in the Connors receiving long prison sentences. However, the investigation failed to link the Connors to the mysterious death of Christopher Nichols.
- 00:35:00 - 00:40:00
The video transitions to highlight that modern slavery is not confined to specific communities but is a widespread issue affecting many across the UK, with examples in different industries, such as nail bars and agriculture, where exploitation persists.
- 00:40:00 - 00:46:41
The narrative concludes by emphasizing that despite legal measures and public awareness, the issue of modern slavery continues to thrive. It calls for increased vigilance and societal change to address the conditions that allow such exploitation to happen in plain sight.
Mind Map
Video Q&A
How many people are estimated to be trapped in modern slavery in the UK?
Approximately 13,000 individuals are said to be trapped in modern slavery in the UK.
What led to the discovery of Christopher Nichols' remains?
The remains were found by a child who mistook them for a football in a garden.
What type of conditions did the victims face?
Victims faced severe abuse, including physical violence, inadequate food, and crowded living conditions.
What legal actions were taken against the Connors family?
The Connors family was arrested and convicted for operating a modern slavery operation and were sentenced to a total of 28 years in prison.
How are migrant workers in the UK being targeted for exploitation?
Migrant workers are often promised jobs but end up exploited with high rents and little to no pay, living in poor conditions.
View more video summaries
- 00:00:02you suspicion slaver who who is he
- 00:00:04slaving 200 years after Britain
- 00:00:07abolished slavery there's no slaves
- 00:00:09there it's back you were literally made
- 00:00:11to and and P punished almost like an
- 00:00:15open concentration C get in the UK
- 00:00:1913,000 are said to be trapped in this
- 00:00:21hidden underworld
- 00:00:26when the Prime Minister Theresa May has
- 00:00:29described slavery is a barbaric evil and
- 00:00:32the numbers continue to rise this is
- 00:00:35organized crime on a scale the world
- 00:00:37hasn't seen before for the past 2 years
- 00:00:40we've had unique access it to two of
- 00:00:43Britain's biggest slavery cases you
- 00:00:46quite often beat them no they said if
- 00:00:50you try leave get murder you this is the
- 00:00:54story of Britain's modernday slaves I
- 00:00:57tell people that it's going on within 10
- 00:00:59miles of where the S regardless of where
- 00:01:01they are in the country it's that
- 00:01:03[Music]
- 00:01:09widespread the wealthy Gentile town of
- 00:01:12chelham in the
- 00:01:14CWS an unlikely place you would think to
- 00:01:16find
- 00:01:18slavery but in recent years this
- 00:01:20well-healed town has been the center of
- 00:01:22a major slavery
- 00:01:26investigation it All Began in 2008 with
- 00:01:30a Grizzly Discovery at the bottom of a
- 00:01:34garden my son came across this what he
- 00:01:38thought was a football and he kicked it
- 00:01:41with his foot to turn it over and then
- 00:01:45he found that there were teeth in it so
- 00:01:48it wasn't a ball at all and it was
- 00:01:51actually a human
- 00:01:53[Music]
- 00:01:57head the skeleton had Lain in the
- 00:01:59undergrowth for 3
- 00:02:02years its Discovery would expose a world
- 00:02:05of slavery and horror that most people
- 00:02:08thought had disappeared two centuries
- 00:02:11previously it was just skeletal remains
- 00:02:13and we had to have DNA abstracted from
- 00:02:16the bones and then there was a process
- 00:02:18of DNA profiling which enabled us to
- 00:02:20identify
- 00:02:22Christoper The Remains belonged to
- 00:02:24Christopher Nichols a father of two from
- 00:02:27Bristol he disappeared in 200 to when he
- 00:02:30was
- 00:02:3137 he said to us I found a new job dad
- 00:02:35he said I'm going to work for this lady
- 00:02:38up in Gloucester to help her as a
- 00:02:40handyman they seemed quite happy about
- 00:02:42it so we said oh fine you know keep in
- 00:02:44touch with us that's the last I've seen
- 00:02:46of
- 00:02:48him through the bridge there is the
- 00:02:50house and the garden where Christopher's
- 00:02:53remains were found and we were able to
- 00:02:55establish once we'd identified him by
- 00:02:57his DNA that this place was the the last
- 00:03:00address that he' lived
- 00:03:02at we came to the premises here and
- 00:03:05spoke to the occupants who we found to
- 00:03:07be William and breeda
- 00:03:11Connors William Connors known as Billy
- 00:03:14his wife breeda and their children are
- 00:03:17an Irish traveler
- 00:03:19family they own Travelers sites in
- 00:03:21gloustershire and other
- 00:03:23counties from their homes they ran their
- 00:03:26family business block Paving driveways
- 00:03:29and Patio
- 00:03:30unusually their workers lived with
- 00:03:33them at one point that included
- 00:03:36Christopher
- 00:03:38Nichols their tale to us at that time
- 00:03:40was that in 2005 um he left to his own
- 00:03:45valtion he just chose to leave and he
- 00:03:47went off and they didn't see him
- 00:03:49[Music]
- 00:03:50again our inquiries continued and we're
- 00:03:53able to identify a friend of Christopher
- 00:03:55who it turned out had been recruited by
- 00:03:58the Connors with him and he told a very
- 00:04:01very different story The friend's
- 00:04:04account was backed up by another man
- 00:04:06John who was held by the Conners for 13
- 00:04:10years he's asked us to hide his identity
- 00:04:13for fear of reprisals I went to
- 00:04:15somewhere which was almost like an open
- 00:04:18concentration camp where you were
- 00:04:20literally made to work and un P punished
- 00:04:24you know on a regular
- 00:04:26basis I couldn't see any means of
- 00:04:28getting away or escaping
- 00:04:30even Christopher was the Connor's main
- 00:04:33salesman responsible for bringing in the
- 00:04:35lucrative block Paving jobs if they
- 00:04:38didn't get any work um for the Connors
- 00:04:41then often they were subject to violence
- 00:04:43and that was typical of the way that
- 00:04:44Billy Connors would
- 00:04:47behave his actions could be quite
- 00:04:49extreme Chris he' been beaten with a
- 00:04:52metal tool bar which really hurt him
- 00:04:55badly I heard the cries we were all told
- 00:04:58to stay in our trailers all was going
- 00:05:01on Christopher did try to escape the
- 00:05:04Connor's
- 00:05:05clutches cwoods inquiries took him back
- 00:05:08to what was at that time billi and
- 00:05:11Breeder's home he left the premises in
- 00:05:13the middle of the night and for some
- 00:05:15reason stepped out into the road and
- 00:05:17been hit by a aaran vehicle and
- 00:05:19sustained very serious injuries which uh
- 00:05:22resulted in being in him being
- 00:05:26hospitalized Christopher's Hospital stay
- 00:05:28was abruptly cut short when Billy
- 00:05:31Conners and his worker John paid him a
- 00:05:35visit Chris looked absolutely
- 00:05:39terrified but when we seen him he looked
- 00:05:42very poor he was very bruised not well
- 00:05:45at all and can get out of the bed but
- 00:05:48the object of the vision
- 00:05:51apparently was to get him from there and
- 00:05:53take him back to site where he would be
- 00:05:57put back to work
- 00:06:00I couldn't believe that that was really
- 00:06:02taking place I was convinced that my
- 00:06:05boss was a cyle to inh
- 00:06:09human Christopher returned to Billy and
- 00:06:12breeda but the accident had left him
- 00:06:15incontinent and unable to
- 00:06:17work 4 months later he disappeared it
- 00:06:22would be the last anyone would sa
- 00:06:24him we were just told that he'd gone
- 00:06:27they' moved off one minute he was there
- 00:06:30the next minute he was
- 00:06:32gone what had begun as a case of
- 00:06:35unidentified human remains was Now
- 00:06:38overshadowed by alarming Tales of slave
- 00:06:40likee conditions at Billy Connor's
- 00:06:43sites so detective superintendent
- 00:06:45selwood decided to put the Connors under
- 00:06:51surveillance and very quickly almost
- 00:06:54every day we did surveillance we saw
- 00:06:56workers leaving one or other of Billy
- 00:06:58sites going on to work on
- 00:07:01[Music]
- 00:07:05driveways they worked in all weathers
- 00:07:08that winter was a particularly cold
- 00:07:10winter with snow on the ground they'd
- 00:07:11clear the snow and they'd carry on block
- 00:07:13Paving and digging they worked From Dawn
- 00:07:16till
- 00:07:18Dusk Billy and breeda drove their
- 00:07:21workers around the clock 19 hours a day
- 00:07:246 days a week for as little as5 or no
- 00:07:28pay at all
- 00:07:33the men were given so little to eat they
- 00:07:35were reduced to Scavenging for food in
- 00:07:37dust
- 00:07:40bins and there was more graphic evidence
- 00:07:43of Billy Connor's brutal treatment of
- 00:07:45his
- 00:07:46workers we captured a number of assaults
- 00:07:50and these images show Billy
- 00:07:53Connor here kicking and here
- 00:07:57punching a 17-year-old worker on his
- 00:08:00sight at Beggar's
- 00:08:03[Music]
- 00:08:08Roost this image is the youth in tears
- 00:08:12[Music]
- 00:08:16afterwards one of the workers we
- 00:08:18established was more or less a personal
- 00:08:19slave for Billy and
- 00:08:21breeda why she hit a bol with a broom
- 00:08:24until his head has
- 00:08:27bled I've seen him all his clothes
- 00:08:30removed and then hosed in cold water on
- 00:08:32middle of the winter really um
- 00:08:38awful the police did not want to rely on
- 00:08:41the testimony of vulnerable men to
- 00:08:43prosecute the
- 00:08:44Connors luckily for Sellwood new
- 00:08:47anti-slavery legislation was about to
- 00:08:49come into Force the first for 200
- 00:08:53years now he would need proof that the
- 00:08:56Connors had gotten rich off the backs of
- 00:08:58their workers
- 00:09:00alongside our cobt investigation we ran
- 00:09:02a financial
- 00:09:03investigation and we identified assets
- 00:09:05that we say have valued at over half2
- 00:09:07and a half million we identified bank
- 00:09:10accounts with nearly £600,000 on deposit
- 00:09:13we identified they had a luxurious
- 00:09:17[Music]
- 00:09:19lifestyle their Caravans and their homes
- 00:09:21were luxurious they always drove topof
- 00:09:24the range
- 00:09:26Vehicles they went on expensive holidays
- 00:09:29we had evidence of them going for
- 00:09:31cruises on the Queen Mary exotic
- 00:09:33holidays in America and in
- 00:09:35Europe and they lived a very high
- 00:09:41life with new slavery legislation in
- 00:09:44place cellwood was ready to
- 00:09:47act on the 22nd of March
- 00:09:502011 he made his
- 00:09:54[Music]
- 00:09:58move one 150 police officers swooped on
- 00:10:01three sites belonging to Billy and
- 00:10:04breida
- 00:10:10Connors the couple were arrested along
- 00:10:13with their two sons and son-in-law miles
- 00:10:16you are making people work in conditions
- 00:10:18am of slavery that's the reason you're
- 00:10:20being
- 00:10:20arrested my life my whole
- 00:10:24life slavery my husband slavery I cannot
- 00:10:28believe what he's getting arrested said
- 00:10:29for love what for who who's his come in
- 00:10:32is that right yeah no problem 16 men
- 00:10:35were
- 00:10:36rescued one of them was
- 00:10:38John he'd been enslaved by the Connors
- 00:10:41for 13
- 00:10:44years remember a knock on the door cable
- 00:10:48there lady cable was there she said I
- 00:10:50want you to get your things together you
- 00:10:52you you come
- 00:10:55outside and yeah El I
- 00:10:58think this 16 rescued men were taken
- 00:11:01away to a safe house in cheltonham one
- 00:11:04man had been held by Billy and breida
- 00:11:06Conners for more than 30 years these
- 00:11:10workers were slaves they were under our
- 00:11:12noses to a degree this has been going on
- 00:11:14for decades in gleria we were completely
- 00:11:17oblivious to it these people had just
- 00:11:19disappeared they didn't exist and the
- 00:11:21Connors were able to exploit
- 00:11:24them for decades the Connor's family had
- 00:11:28scoured town and Resorts across the UK
- 00:11:31looking for potential
- 00:11:35slaves the South Coast was a favorite
- 00:11:38hunting ground for picking up vulnerable
- 00:11:40British
- 00:11:42men September 2009 Bournemouth Mark
- 00:11:46enden had just lost his job and he was
- 00:11:49struggling to make ends
- 00:11:51meet I experienced some hardship I
- 00:11:54started to feel very depressed I I was
- 00:11:57um I withdrew myself I isolated
- 00:12:00myself I was living in a house that was
- 00:12:02uh that was due to be
- 00:12:04sold lost a
- 00:12:06job I was on the very edge of
- 00:12:12destitution but Mark's situation was
- 00:12:15about to take a turn for the worse was
- 00:12:18uh evening in late September 2009 and I
- 00:12:20was just Hing up to the soup kitchen
- 00:12:22here um there's a guy parked outside on
- 00:12:24this corner with um he was in a fairly
- 00:12:26nice car he had his um his wife and his
- 00:12:28kid with him and um he asked me if I was
- 00:12:31looking for a job said he could throw in
- 00:12:32his throw in accommodation three meals a
- 00:12:34day and I thought why not so I went with
- 00:12:36him there and
- 00:12:41then Mark had been picked up by another
- 00:12:44member of the Conor
- 00:12:46family he was driven to a traveler site
- 00:12:49called Green Acres on the outskirts of
- 00:12:52the market town of Leon
- 00:12:54Buzzard this site belongs to Tommy
- 00:12:56Connor a cousin of Billy and Bre
- 00:13:02done it wasn't until the next day that I
- 00:13:05noticed that anything was particularly
- 00:13:09[Music]
- 00:13:11wrong the other workers at the site were
- 00:13:14living in a horse
- 00:13:16box it would have been about eight
- 00:13:18living in a horse box which had kind of
- 00:13:20wooden bunks built into the side of it
- 00:13:23you've seen the pictures of um kind of
- 00:13:25the concentration camps the long tunnel
- 00:13:27like barracks and it looked exactly like
- 00:13:29like that inside it wasn't just the
- 00:13:31living conditions that troubled him but
- 00:13:34the inmates
- 00:13:35themselves people would have their head
- 00:13:37shaved everybody at the site had a
- 00:13:39shaved
- 00:13:40head this ritual was carried out by one
- 00:13:43of the other long serving workers I've
- 00:13:46done it and had to do it to people cut
- 00:13:48the a to you come the bully as part of
- 00:13:51the initiation the new recruit's own
- 00:13:54clothes would be taken
- 00:13:55[Music]
- 00:13:56away the all you out please and go
- 00:14:02water any documents any mobile phones
- 00:14:06anything like that anything valuable
- 00:14:07would be taken
- 00:14:08away when I was first picked up my house
- 00:14:12keys and my mobile phone disappeared
- 00:14:15it's took all your ID and everything to
- 00:14:18know
- 00:14:19that you didn't
- 00:14:23exist there was one outside tap for the
- 00:14:27workers to use cold water only and this
- 00:14:29is approaching winter now so it's not
- 00:14:31ideal
- 00:14:32at most of them hadn't showered or
- 00:14:35cleaned themselves for a couple of
- 00:14:37months at
- 00:14:39least there was a kind of a small
- 00:14:42outside toilet that didn't
- 00:14:44work you have to go over the wall to
- 00:14:47have a car you know what I mean you
- 00:14:49should you know what I mean you don't
- 00:14:50wipe your
- 00:14:55ass so this is Green Acres
- 00:14:59it's an odd feeling to be back here um I
- 00:15:02spent what was the worst period of my
- 00:15:04life
- 00:15:06here I was definitely kept a
- 00:15:09prisoner there weren't any locked Gates
- 00:15:11or bars or anything like that but I was
- 00:15:14it was made very very clear that if I
- 00:15:16was to go out if I was to try to leave
- 00:15:19then the consequences would be pretty
- 00:15:22grave I've seen some se you punch people
- 00:15:25kick people push people around threaten
- 00:15:28people's lives
- 00:15:29frequently i s many a time it with
- 00:15:33somewhere or
- 00:15:36kicked he said if you ever escape the
- 00:15:39lot we'll find you we'll find you killed
- 00:15:41you and he could have bed you at the
- 00:15:43back of the
- 00:15:44fields so was it worth
- 00:15:49escaping you don't really see Escape as
- 00:15:52an option you know that wherever you go
- 00:15:55you're going to be found here I'm some
- 00:15:57120 130 m from hope uh didn't have any
- 00:16:00money in my pocket um didn't have any
- 00:16:03reason to suspect that the authorities
- 00:16:05would take me seriously if I went to
- 00:16:06them um so where was I going to go i'
- 00:16:08leave here and have to walk any number
- 00:16:10of miles in any direction I'm going to
- 00:16:12be fairly easy to pick up
- 00:16:14again in July
- 00:16:172011 two workers did not to escape while
- 00:16:20out canvasing for work and went to the
- 00:16:24police I went
- 00:16:26Camp campus all day and I didn't get one
- 00:16:32customer um he punched me in the aisle
- 00:16:36as hard as he
- 00:16:38could because you're useless not punch
- 00:16:41me in the arm put me in the boot of the
- 00:16:43car it was
- 00:16:49darked not
- 00:16:51[Music]
- 00:16:52very he told us of incidents of of
- 00:16:56beatings and mistreatment people were
- 00:16:59being starved and that if anybody did
- 00:17:02try to escape they would be beaten and
- 00:17:05even killed they said if you try leave
- 00:17:09get to murder
- 00:17:12you and he then says that there's
- 00:17:14another man in the area doing the same
- 00:17:18who's been held against his will for
- 00:17:21over 7
- 00:17:23years when the police found him he said
- 00:17:27nah everything's fine
- 00:17:29the corners are my best friend's name
- 00:17:32they're like my
- 00:17:34parents I've enjoyed life for the last
- 00:17:37seven
- 00:17:38years I'm off the I'm off the
- 00:17:41alcohol thanks to them we've got some
- 00:17:43information to suggest that you're
- 00:17:45beaten
- 00:17:46regularly not
- 00:17:48really few
- 00:17:50slaps why would any I'm not why would
- 00:17:53anyone slap
- 00:17:54you maybe I deserve it why would you
- 00:17:57deserve it I don't know oh maybe I do
- 00:17:59deserve it so they had two different
- 00:18:03accounts and this is what we knew we
- 00:18:06would face throughout the investigation
- 00:18:09people that would say yeah everything
- 00:18:12was fine because they're that vulnerable
- 00:18:15there was no barbed wire there was no um
- 00:18:19Fen in there was no need because they
- 00:18:23were all
- 00:18:24brainwashed anyway 7 years
- 00:18:30my life has been
- 00:18:33[Music]
- 00:18:38fantastic in September
- 00:18:412011 200 police officers descended on
- 00:18:44the Connor's site at Green
- 00:18:46Acres I see two Caravans in a van and
- 00:18:50uncovered a world of squala and horror
- 00:18:53regular access to the you had these poor
- 00:18:56people in pitiful dress
- 00:18:59thin pale teeth missing filthy
- 00:19:04Dirty Heads down broken
- 00:19:08men the only clothing they had was what
- 00:19:11they were
- 00:19:13wearing some had
- 00:19:16scurvy one guy was covered from head to
- 00:19:20foot in his own
- 00:19:22intrument it was the most dire
- 00:19:25disgusting place you could ever wish to
- 00:19:28live in
- 00:19:28[Music]
- 00:19:31in they had to have The Travelers cats
- 00:19:34and kittens living in there with
- 00:19:36them cats were urinating and defecating
- 00:19:39in there and they had to live in there
- 00:19:42and you see the poo on the floor and you
- 00:19:43see that they they're living amongst
- 00:19:46that it's just terrific
- 00:19:51really these conditions were in stark
- 00:19:54contrast to the Connor's homes just a
- 00:19:56few meters away
- 00:20:01people would refer to it as
- 00:20:06palatial really nice kitchens sparkling
- 00:20:09clean often unused with crystal in the
- 00:20:13in in the ovens to show how clean and
- 00:20:15tidy it was luxury
- 00:20:20everywhere when we searched the Caravans
- 00:20:22there was a stacking like steer set cash
- 00:20:25in the bottom part of the pan and
- 00:20:26there's a a baby bag stuff with
- 00:20:29lots of Ready Cash lying around we're
- 00:20:31talking thousands in the pot we're not
- 00:20:33talking a few pennies or 100 quid or
- 00:20:36so by the end of the raid officers had
- 00:20:39rescued 22
- 00:20:42men that was one of the greatest days of
- 00:20:44my
- 00:20:46life who was the world just stopped it
- 00:20:49went and the air smell smells different
- 00:20:53that's how good he
- 00:20:56was but for others freedom after years
- 00:20:59of mental imprisonment was not
- 00:21:03welcome some people still refus to
- 00:21:07leave this man had been with the Connors
- 00:21:10for 20 years they Reon I was a slave
- 00:21:13yeah so do they question you about your
- 00:21:16involvement here they they tried to
- 00:21:18question me but I told them that I'm not
- 00:21:19going into an interview there's no
- 00:21:21slaves
- 00:21:22here if they were slaves they would go
- 00:21:25people go and come when they want
- 00:21:28there's no slaves
- 00:21:30here five members of Tommy Connor's
- 00:21:33family were arrested and charged with
- 00:21:37slavery did you ever offer any violence
- 00:21:40to them did you beat them or Com or
- 00:21:45injure them in any way no can anything
- 00:21:48that you want to comment on at all
- 00:21:50Patrick and what I'm doing in this
- 00:21:52police station work hard for living
- 00:21:54though do only think wrong it's just
- 00:21:56another thing to get back at our family
- 00:21:57again what do you what do you work hard
- 00:21:59doing living the interview is over now
- 00:22:02just concluded what I have to say that's
- 00:22:05no the human beings that have to live in
- 00:22:07that they should tell you that shouldn't
- 00:22:10they well did you not tell them to I
- 00:22:14can't force people to do things you
- 00:22:16force them to go out and work for you
- 00:22:19forc
- 00:22:20them four members of Tommy Connor's
- 00:22:23family were convicted of slavery and
- 00:22:26sentenced to a total of 28 years in in
- 00:22:30prison Billy and breeda Connors and
- 00:22:33three of their family were jailed for
- 00:22:35nearly 19 years in total they were also
- 00:22:39ordered to pay2 and A4 million
- 00:22:42immediately when you see the UNS with
- 00:22:45the red bow down
- 00:22:48guilt and you knew my time has
- 00:22:54come for the family of Christopher
- 00:22:57Nichols who Leal remains sparked the
- 00:23:00initial
- 00:23:01investigation there is no
- 00:23:03closure the police were unable to find
- 00:23:06any evidence to link his death to Billy
- 00:23:09Connor Billy Connor said he'd given him
- 00:23:1150 and sent him on his
- 00:23:14way my own view is that Christopher was
- 00:23:17no longer of any use to Billy Connor
- 00:23:19because of the physical injuries that
- 00:23:20he' sustained and Billy threw him out to
- 00:23:23fend for himself and I think Christopher
- 00:23:24would have had the clothes he stood up
- 00:23:26in there was a people take in and if you
- 00:23:30couldn't use them any longer perhaps
- 00:23:32they were G past the C by day where work
- 00:23:35was concerned they would be flighted
- 00:23:37yeah basically take take to any part of
- 00:23:40the country and just dump
- 00:23:42[Music]
- 00:23:43there we do have his children and it's
- 00:23:47very sad really that they've had to
- 00:23:49suffer in such a
- 00:23:52way we don't believe that we'll get
- 00:23:54Justice for the death of Christopher
- 00:24:00[Music]
- 00:24:01the cause of Christopher's death remains
- 00:24:03a
- 00:24:05mystery but without it many of his
- 00:24:08co-workers would never have gained their
- 00:24:10freedom what would you say to Chris if
- 00:24:12he was still here I
- 00:24:15probably put my arms around him when I H
- 00:24:21him I can't thank him enough really
- 00:24:28thank
- 00:24:28[Music]
- 00:24:35you four members of Tommy Connor's
- 00:24:38family may be behind bars but for many
- 00:24:40of their victims the fear remains it's
- 00:24:43been six years since Mark endon escape
- 00:24:46from their clutches but he still doesn't
- 00:24:49feel safe I went into the center of town
- 00:24:51one day and I was about to cross a road
- 00:24:53I was standing at a pedestrian Crossing
- 00:24:55and a white Transit family pulled up
- 00:24:58next to me there was a redheaded guy who
- 00:25:01sat in the driver's seat and I panicked
- 00:25:03and ran
- 00:25:04off I still couldn't shake the feeling
- 00:25:07that anything could happen at any
- 00:25:10point what happened to the Connor's
- 00:25:12victims is not an isolative
- 00:25:15case Every Day in the UK people are
- 00:25:18being targeted by slave drivers this is
- 00:25:21very much the tip of the iceberg this
- 00:25:24isn't a traveler crime this is something
- 00:25:27that's happening everywhere in the
- 00:25:30UK in 21st century Britain slavery has
- 00:25:34taken roote in every town in city in
- 00:25:37June 2016 the high court found that a
- 00:25:40subcontractor used slaves to catch
- 00:25:43chickens for a leading supplier of eggs
- 00:25:45to High Street stores unbeknown to the
- 00:25:48supplier or
- 00:25:51retailer lately Britain's Nail Bar
- 00:25:54industry has come under scrutiny we've
- 00:25:56seen a massive growth in the last 2
- 00:25:57years nail bus popping up up and down
- 00:25:59the High Street you can get your nails
- 00:26:02done for £10 but you can only pay in
- 00:26:04cash the person that's doing your nails
- 00:26:06can't speak any English and often what
- 00:26:08we're beginning to find is that they're
- 00:26:10held there against their will they're in
- 00:26:12forc labor situation and they're often
- 00:26:14in bonded debt to their slave masters so
- 00:26:17the question is who's doing your nails
- 00:26:19are your nails being done by
- 00:26:20[Music]
- 00:26:23slaves many nail salons are starved by
- 00:26:26trafficked Vietnamese who are being
- 00:26:28lured here with the promise of well-paid
- 00:26:31jobs a favorite destination is
- 00:26:35Scotland the police here now carry out
- 00:26:37spot checks on nail bars across the
- 00:26:43country this customer is bemused by the
- 00:26:46sudden police
- 00:26:48presence do you come here often um I've
- 00:26:51come here a couple of times yeah your
- 00:26:52friends come here as well any concerns
- 00:26:55um I think you get done yeah change over
- 00:26:59the
- 00:27:00staff my yeah yeah okay had a few
- 00:27:03different people com in yeah okay all
- 00:27:06right I've got officers out you mind if
- 00:27:08you just have a quick chat with you just
- 00:27:10very very briefly okay thank
- 00:27:13you one of the team has spotted a new
- 00:27:16worker in the corner of the shop who has
- 00:27:18raised his suspicions nice um we're just
- 00:27:21going to go into this office and I just
- 00:27:23want to have a very brief uh chat with
- 00:27:25you hi how you doing thanks
- 00:27:31how did you what was your
- 00:27:40[Music]
- 00:27:45journey do you know who we
- 00:27:48are he doesn't really remember exactly
- 00:27:51the address no we could meet people and
- 00:27:54they don't know that simple question of
- 00:27:56where they actually are is horrendous
- 00:27:57they don't speak
- 00:27:59any um English at all so they have no
- 00:28:02understanding um of what situation
- 00:28:04they're in or how to get themselves out
- 00:28:06of that situation can you ask him who
- 00:28:08has his identity
- 00:28:15C I never have any identity card do you
- 00:28:19P
- 00:28:20enough yes
- 00:28:30can you ask him if he owes any
- 00:28:33money not much not much how
- 00:28:37much okay and you the boy is just 16
- 00:28:42he's worried that he said too much and
- 00:28:44he's going to be
- 00:28:48deported I to change I don't want to
- 00:28:51change
- 00:28:52[Music]
- 00:28:55anything the boy was taken to a place
- 00:28:58place of
- 00:29:04safety police police Scottish police
- 00:29:08Tracked Down the owner of the Nail Bar
- 00:29:10to a London suburb 420 M
- 00:29:15away in September he was convicted of
- 00:29:19trafficking offenses and was sentenced
- 00:29:21to 12 months in prison
- 00:29:28the plight of Migrant workers of all
- 00:29:30nationalities is echoed in towns in
- 00:29:33rural areas across
- 00:29:34[Music]
- 00:29:36Britain 3:00 a.m.
- 00:29:39Cambridge 300 crime officers are about
- 00:29:42to raid properties in whis
- 00:29:45Beach they're targeting illegal gang
- 00:29:48Masters who exploit migrants desperate
- 00:29:50for
- 00:29:54work come on come on get get in there
- 00:29:58come on
- 00:30:01pleas every day before Dawn in whis
- 00:30:04Beach a modern British ritual plays
- 00:30:07out Eastern Europeans Gather in the Town
- 00:30:11Center looking for a day's
- 00:30:13work wh Beach as a town is always
- 00:30:16attracted migrant workers because of the
- 00:30:18type of work that's available it's
- 00:30:21largely agricultureal it's largely hard
- 00:30:23labor on minimum pay and the indigenous
- 00:30:26populations just not being attracted to
- 00:30:28that type of
- 00:30:30work these are the lucky ones they're
- 00:30:33picked up by legal gang Masters the work
- 00:30:36is tough but they're paid the going rate
- 00:30:39and it's all above
- 00:30:40[Music]
- 00:30:43board across the road it's a different
- 00:30:47story there's a parallel operation with
- 00:30:50ruthless illegal gang Masters exploiting
- 00:30:53migrants for little or no
- 00:30:56pay this is where an Eastern European
- 00:30:59crime gang picked up its
- 00:31:02workers National Crime okay in their
- 00:31:07raids crime officers find 80 workers who
- 00:31:10were taken away to
- 00:31:13safety harm your defense if you do not
- 00:31:15mention when question
- 00:31:16something they also arrest nine members
- 00:31:19of organized crime
- 00:31:26gangs among them they get one of their
- 00:31:28targets laan man Evar me
- 00:31:38hone just dress me
- 00:31:43[Music]
- 00:31:49up this was the end of a year-long
- 00:31:52investigation by Cambridge Police
- 00:31:54targeting a crime gang led by mezel and
- 00:31:57Urus value
- 00:31:58and including Val's wife Oxana and her
- 00:32:01friend LMA
- 00:32:03Vancover iva's misss was extremely
- 00:32:06calculating he was really able to
- 00:32:09understand vulnerability to identify
- 00:32:11those that could be
- 00:32:12[Music]
- 00:32:15exploited okay so this is the exhibits
- 00:32:18room here we have some
- 00:32:21adverts which were found at uh the home
- 00:32:24addresses and they're written in Russian
- 00:32:26um and they've translated to workers
- 00:32:29required to work cabbages potatoes and
- 00:32:31flowers and the two telephone numbers
- 00:32:33there refer to value and
- 00:32:39mezel the adverts were placed in shops
- 00:32:42and on social network sites designed to
- 00:32:45Target Eastern Europeans dreaming of a
- 00:32:47better life mezel was guaranteeing each
- 00:32:50individual work if you come from an area
- 00:32:53where work isn't available you don't
- 00:32:55have good living accommodation come to
- 00:32:57me in whis beach and I'm going to
- 00:32:59guarantee you good employment regular
- 00:33:02employment above the minimum pay you're
- 00:33:04also going to get accommodation it's
- 00:33:05going to be good accommodation and I'm
- 00:33:07going to look after your
- 00:33:10interests the reality was very
- 00:33:13different workers were crowded into
- 00:33:15dilapidated homes for which mezel
- 00:33:18charged extortion at
- 00:33:21rents we entered here at 4:00 this
- 00:33:23morning and we found seven males and one
- 00:33:26female
- 00:33:28when we were letting through the back
- 00:33:29door there was two males actually asleep
- 00:33:33sitting down with the feet up on each of
- 00:33:35these chairs here um they would just
- 00:33:40slept there they had literally only just
- 00:33:43arrived they' been just literally
- 00:33:45dropped off by someone and saying this
- 00:33:47is where you're staying drop them off
- 00:33:48and then drove off first bedroom you got
- 00:33:52damp going all the way along the top all
- 00:33:53the way around and if you look you can
- 00:33:56see the discoloration
- 00:33:58on the
- 00:34:01wall damp all behind the beds it's
- 00:34:04coming all the way out the plaz is
- 00:34:05actually coming away from the
- 00:34:07wall and and that's somebody's head um
- 00:34:11steeping right next to it which I
- 00:34:13wouldn't think it's going to be very
- 00:34:15good for your
- 00:34:16[Music]
- 00:34:20health it seems that people been
- 00:34:22exploited it's quite a nerve and really
- 00:34:24that this is going on so close to home
- 00:34:28mezel and the Gang sublet ate such
- 00:34:31houses generating around £10,000 a month
- 00:34:34in
- 00:34:35rent but it wasn't enough he also
- 00:34:38overcharged for transport to the fields
- 00:34:40and factories where migrants would find
- 00:34:43that the promised work just wasn't
- 00:34:46there but they still owed mezel for
- 00:34:48their transport and rent and now they
- 00:34:51were in his
- 00:34:53debt over here we have one of the debt
- 00:34:56books that we seized from mezel it was
- 00:34:59actually in his car now inside as an
- 00:35:02example you'll see rent transport and
- 00:35:06debts recorded within this book okay
- 00:35:08this is a transport column so there's
- 00:35:11dates at the top here um and you can see
- 00:35:14that one person has been charged £8 a
- 00:35:17day for transport somebody else is £7 so
- 00:35:20they're earning very low amounts of
- 00:35:22money and if you add up the money that
- 00:35:25they they earned and you take away the
- 00:35:27rent and you take away the transport and
- 00:35:30you take away what mesel says was a debt
- 00:35:33they were left with a pittance very
- 00:35:34often at the end of that sometimes Pence
- 00:35:36sometimes nothing at all um and ear
- 00:35:39nothing for all of their
- 00:35:44effort during the course of their
- 00:35:46investigation Cambridge Police
- 00:35:49discovered that mezel and the Gang
- 00:35:51ruthlessly exploited their workers for
- 00:35:55profit once the workers were in debt
- 00:35:59basically having no earnings at all
- 00:36:01worried about keeping the roof over
- 00:36:02their head and where their next meal was
- 00:36:04going to come from they do essentially
- 00:36:06whatever they were asked to do they were
- 00:36:07asked to go with their gang to Banks and
- 00:36:10building societies and told they were
- 00:36:12going to be opening bank accounts the
- 00:36:14gang themselves acted as interpreter and
- 00:36:16convinced the bank that they were just
- 00:36:17there to assist their friends and
- 00:36:19colleagues when the bank accounts were
- 00:36:21opened they went immediately into the
- 00:36:23control of the gang and were used by the
- 00:36:25gang to launder money on one occasion a
- 00:36:28young lady we worked with throughout the
- 00:36:30trial called Santa identified that more
- 00:36:32than £1,000 had gone through her account
- 00:36:35so she confronted valv and valev
- 00:36:38essentially told her not to ask
- 00:36:40questions and he said um that he would
- 00:36:42finish her off the gang singled out
- 00:36:45female workers for more Sinister
- 00:36:48exploitation women in particular are
- 00:36:50very valuable commodity for the gang
- 00:36:53they could use them to enter them into
- 00:36:55sham weddings or they could push them
- 00:36:57toward prostitution they also threatened
- 00:36:59them with much more serious things like
- 00:37:01if you don't pay me back you can sell an
- 00:37:04organ which then made the Sham weddings
- 00:37:06and prostitution sound far less scary
- 00:37:09and one of our victims in particular she
- 00:37:11was coerced into going to India where on
- 00:37:14her return after marrying somebody in
- 00:37:17India was told by the gang you're no
- 00:37:19further used to us you've cleared your
- 00:37:21debt and they evicted her and her
- 00:37:23children from the
- 00:37:26house over the course of two trials
- 00:37:29mezel and valuev were finally
- 00:37:32convicted first they were found guilty
- 00:37:35of operating as illegal gang
- 00:37:38Masters don't drop it then in May 2016
- 00:37:42all four gang members were convicted of
- 00:37:45conspiracy to acquire criminal
- 00:37:48property three of the four were also
- 00:37:50jailed for arranging sham
- 00:37:53marriages the gang was sentenced to 26
- 00:37:56years in prison
- 00:37:58but other criminal groups are still
- 00:37:59working the area cambridgea police are
- 00:38:03currently investigating six other cases
- 00:38:06involving labor
- 00:38:08exploitation today officers are on their
- 00:38:11way to check on the gang's former
- 00:38:14workers following the police
- 00:38:16investigation many found themselves
- 00:38:20homeless we're now on route to an
- 00:38:22encampment initially when we first met
- 00:38:24them they wouldn't tell us who they were
- 00:38:26working for
- 00:38:28they are very much afraid of mentioning
- 00:38:30um Evas and uh uri's name very fearful
- 00:38:35to talk about them for Fe
- 00:38:43reprisals the makeshift Camp is situated
- 00:38:47just yards from a busy Main
- 00:38:49Road the conditions are
- 00:38:52[Music]
- 00:38:55squalid the living area here here
- 00:38:58undercover um with their chairs got a
- 00:39:01little table and their
- 00:39:04[Music]
- 00:39:07drinks this is the uh the red carpet
- 00:39:09that leads to the uh the toilet area um
- 00:39:13it's a bit of a makeshift uh toilet be
- 00:39:15made made out of tires not the most
- 00:39:17comfortable but um it's out of the way
- 00:39:19from the main
- 00:39:21Camp there are three people huddled
- 00:39:23under a Tarpin tent that barely protects
- 00:39:26them from the elements hello there's no
- 00:39:30problems we're just checking that you're
- 00:39:31okay cuz it's been a cold night we just
- 00:39:32want to check
- 00:39:36[Music]
- 00:39:37you please can you leave us alone we
- 00:39:40really we we're not touching anyone
- 00:39:42would you please leave listen in
- 00:39:44peace they're initially reluctant to
- 00:39:47talk to the police they only agreed to
- 00:39:50speak on the assurance that we would
- 00:39:52hide their identities you in the past
- 00:39:54have told us that you've had problems
- 00:39:55with people or with money being taken
- 00:39:57from your
- 00:40:02pay this man worked for another illegal
- 00:40:05gang
- 00:40:06Master they told me I had
- 00:40:09to I had to pay money
- 00:40:12[Music]
- 00:40:14today they were taking
- 00:40:18£500 you work for EUR and for Eva's me
- 00:40:27no
- 00:40:29problems every day I driving
- 00:40:32[Music]
- 00:40:33cars
- 00:40:40Europe every day we've had
- 00:40:45work everything's
- 00:40:48fine thank
- 00:40:50Youk Mel's gang may be in prison but the
- 00:40:54workers are still afraid of them what
- 00:40:57has gotten out that if there's a camera
- 00:40:59then you you fully support Evas and and
- 00:41:02and
- 00:41:04Uris it's just amazing that in in 21st
- 00:41:07century Britain we we've got people
- 00:41:09living in
- 00:41:12tents it's outrageous and there's people
- 00:41:14profiteering from it um and making the
- 00:41:17vast vast sums of amount of money whilst
- 00:41:19other people are left in in these
- 00:41:21conditions um it's words fail me really
- 00:41:32[Music]
- 00:41:35every night on the Streets of London as
- 00:41:37in our other major cities organized
- 00:41:40crime gangs Target vulnerable men and
- 00:41:42women for slave
- 00:41:45labor I'm out tonight to warn their
- 00:41:48homeless that they're at risk of
- 00:41:50becoming victims of human
- 00:41:52trafficking hiy how are you charity
- 00:41:55worker Megan Stewart used to be homeless
- 00:41:58herself she's made it her mission to
- 00:42:00spread the word about the trafficking
- 00:42:02gangs who lie in weight the situation on
- 00:42:05the streets is definitely getting worse
- 00:42:06than what it's been the reason
- 00:42:09traffickers seem to be targeting the
- 00:42:10homeless at the moment is because
- 00:42:12obviously it costs money to come in h
- 00:42:15from Europe to the UK why bring people
- 00:42:18in when they're already here at the sou
- 00:42:21runs I'm here yeah because the free food
- 00:42:26banks were you guys are accumulating are
- 00:42:29being targeted by human traffickers if
- 00:42:32you could give me the details of any
- 00:42:34vans or suspicious people I hear couple
- 00:42:37of months ago uh they took them some
- 00:42:40couple of the guys somewhere like yes I
- 00:42:46seen the traffickers have learned about
- 00:42:48the suuns and they've also learned the
- 00:42:50RoR of the super runs where the suuns
- 00:42:52are going to be who's going to be at
- 00:42:54those super runs and the basically from
- 00:42:57a candy store for the
- 00:43:00traffickers the more vulnerable they are
- 00:43:02the more likely they are to be targeted
- 00:43:04so if you don't speak any English if
- 00:43:07you're looking for lawn or you're a drug
- 00:43:09addict or alcoholic that's the type of
- 00:43:12person that the traffickers looking for
- 00:43:14someone that's not going to be
- 00:43:15[Music]
- 00:43:20missed they go out they say to them um I
- 00:43:23was sitting in this queue last week
- 00:43:26these these guys came along they offered
- 00:43:28me work and accommodation I've not
- 00:43:30looked back me it and they've got a
- 00:43:32couple of openings so you know the the
- 00:43:34guys because they're cold because
- 00:43:36they're hungry Think Jesus great get in
- 00:43:39the van and that's that's
- 00:43:40[Music]
- 00:43:46it there are takers for these offers as
- 00:43:49Megan hears from a homeless
- 00:43:52girl C in a car last week who did a CLE
- 00:43:58guy and they go off work and
- 00:44:01accomodation and they go the
- 00:44:03car no one and you've not seen them
- 00:44:06since please be careful have you ever
- 00:44:09been approached yourself I by it I we
- 00:44:12knew it was a scam we just went now
- 00:44:14forget it man you know I mean we are not
- 00:44:15interested we know what happens when
- 00:44:17people go with the likes of you as I say
- 00:44:19end up in a shallow grave somewhere the
- 00:44:21worst case scenario right indeed it's
- 00:44:24not just a British problem the UN says
- 00:44:27the slave trade is a huge money-making
- 00:44:30Global
- 00:44:31Enterprise it's $150 billion a year
- 00:44:36industry $150
- 00:44:40billion this is serious organized crime
- 00:44:43on a scale the world hasn't seen
- 00:44:46before drugs are massive huge industry
- 00:44:50but you can only sell drugs once people
- 00:44:52can get sold over and over and over
- 00:44:55again
- 00:44:59[Music]
- 00:45:02with new modern slavery legislation
- 00:45:04inforce the Prime Minister Theresa May
- 00:45:07has made it her mission to crack down on
- 00:45:09the slave masters it's a huge
- 00:45:13challenge people tend to be very
- 00:45:15comfortable with where they are and they
- 00:45:16tend to forget that it doesn't really
- 00:45:19take much for your life to take a
- 00:45:20downturn it doesn't take much for you to
- 00:45:22lose a home or you know lose a job or
- 00:45:24become depressed or whatever I just
- 00:45:27happened to be one of those unlucky
- 00:45:28people that that it happened to it could
- 00:45:30happen to anybody
- 00:45:33anybody it's just become so commercial
- 00:45:36it's come so entrepreneurial so it's
- 00:45:38almost starting to embed itself at such
- 00:45:40a low level that it's become normal um
- 00:45:44we have to change
- 00:45:46[Music]
- 00:45:48attitudes however big we think the
- 00:45:50problem is I don't think it's naive to
- 00:45:51think that we can end modern slavery in
- 00:45:53our lifetime but it comes down to each
- 00:45:55and every one of us so when we go
- 00:45:57shopping who made the product who's
- 00:45:59serving us who's cleaning our car who's
- 00:46:02doing our nails who's tarmacking our
- 00:46:04drives and we just need to stop and ask
- 00:46:05ourselves do we want to live in a world
- 00:46:08still built on the back of slavery
- 00:46:18[Music]
- 00:46:29[Laughter]
- 00:46:31[Music]
- modern slavery
- UK
- slavery investigation
- Christopher Nichols
- labor exploitation
- Connors family
- human trafficking
- migrant workers
- anti-slavery legislation
- organized crime