A couple who held vulnerable people as slaves and forced them to do work worth almost £ 1 million for free have been jailed for a total of 25 years.
Maros Tankos and Joanna Gomulska, both 46, were leaders of a modern-day operation for slavery and human trafficking in Bristol.
They persuaded dozens of vulnerable people to travel from Slovakia to work for them in a city car wash.
Tankos will use its links to orphanages and camps in Slovakia to recruit victims, promising them transport, a place to live and food, and a better life.
Victims were told they would be able to keep half of their salaries each month, while the other half would go to food and living expenses.
Upon arrival, however, the victims were kept in misery at the couple’s three-bedroom home in Brentree Lane, Bristol, and forced to work for free.
They said they were locked in the house and had their identity documents and mobile phones confiscated.
Tancos’ interlocutor, Gomulska, helped arrange the transport of workers to the United Kingdom.
It will take their identity documents and release them only when they are needed for applications such as national security numbers or bank accounts.
Gomulska would accompany the victims to meetings and act as an interpreter before taking their bank cards and PIN numbers.
The victims worked in the Tancos car wash during the day and were then sent to other jobs at night.
These include catching chickens, packing milk or sorting parcels.
The victims were accommodated in bunk beds, an NCA operation revealed
(NCA / SWNS)
NCA investigators found that Tancos and Gomulska had not paid a minimum wage of £ 923,835 based on calculations of what they would have earned from a minimum wage of eight hours a day.
The couple also transferred almost £ 300,000 from the accounts of their victims earned while working in secondary jobs.
All the money was spent on the maintenance of Tankos and Gomulska, gambling online or in casinos, and second-hand cars.
The victims said Tancos would be violent against them, with some describing being threatened or beaten.
They said they were too scared to leave the property and in many cases were locked inside.
Officials from the National Crime Agency (NRA) launched an investigation in 2017 and tracked the crime of Tankos and Gomulska until 2010.
The couple was kept under surveillance as they transported their victims to and from the car wash and other manual rolls around Bristol.
A total of 42 victims were questioned by experts, and 29 gave evidence of violence in court.
The victims described their time with the accused as “catastrophic” and said they had been humiliated, beaten and punished by Tancos.
Another described returning to Slovakia when she became pregnant, giving birth to a malnourished child and suffering from epileptic seizures because she had no money to return from the United Kingdom for food.
One victim described the house as a “gateway to hell” and said they were not allowed to leave.
They said, “All I knew was work. I thought I was a slave there all the time. I thought there was no going back. “
Tankos and Gomulska denied a number of crimes of modern slavery and human trafficking, but after a trial that lasted almost three months and with evidence of 15 victims, they were convicted in April 2022.
They were convicted in Bristol court on Wednesday. Tankos has been in prison for 16 years and Gomulska for 9 years. Tancos was also subject to an order to prevent slavery and trafficking.
Judge Martin Picton praised the NCA team for their work and said defendants would have to serve at least two-thirds of their sentences before they could be released instead of the usual half.
NCA branch commander Colin Williams said: “Our investigation has put these two brutal bullies behind bars for a long time. The vulnerable victims of Tankos and Gomulska were treated as prisoners and treated with utter contempt, despite promises of a better life in the United Kingdom.
“The victims’ testimonies show the mental and physical scars they still bear from the couple’s treatment.
“Tackling human trafficking and modern-day slavery is a high priority for the NCA, and we hope that this result will bring some victim closure.
Defense Secretary Rachel McLean said: “Tackling modern-day slavery is a top priority for me and we must ensure that victims receive the support they need to start rebuilding their lives, and that criminals who brutally exploit people for trade benefit will be prosecuted.
“We have given law enforcement the power and resources to take on gangs that profit from modern slavery, and thanks to the incredible work of the NCA, these criminals are now on trial.
SWNS
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