A Warrington couple have been jailed for modern slavery offences after police discovered two Lithuanians living in horrific conditions in their family home.

Police said the couple witheld wages from the pair, who had undertaken household jobs for the couple and worked for Warrington businesses, and made them live in 'cramped' conditions.

One of their victims lived in a cupboard under the stairs, while the other slept on their sofa.

Robertas Repsas and Rita Jablonskaite, of Westland Drive, were sent to jail for a combined total of three years and seven months after pleading guilty to human trafficking and modern slavery charges.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how both victims lived with depressions and had little to eat while living in the house.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, their first victim, a 50-year-old man, said:I lived there under constant stress and ongoing depression, anxiety and constantly thinking what I should do next what actions I should take. These thoughts used to drive me crazy.

I was full of anxiety and yet I could not share my thoughts with anybody as I was alone and was completely isolated from other people.

The court heard that he lost nearly 20 kilograms in weight while living with the couple.

Their second victim, a 51-year-old woman, said:While I was living in Ritas house I felt very bad. I was treated as worthless and was very insulted.

I felt particularly bad when I had nothing to eat after I cooked for the family there. I remember how many times I cried because of hunger and the insults.

I was always in a very bad mood and always sad.

Police were alerted to the couple's crimes when their first victim accessed a phone while working at a recycling firm and contacted a friend.

Officers from Cheshire Police discovered that the man had been living with Repsas, 31, and Jablonskaite, 34, for nine months after being trafficked from his native Lithuania.

He began doing housework, gardening and running errands for them before working for Jablonskaites cleaning company and later for a Warrington-based recruitment agency.

Repsas and Jablonskaite refused to let the man access his own wages, which were around 400 a week, and even applied for loans in his name.

The man, who spoke very little English, lived in highly cramped conditions with no ventilation or a window, according to police.

Officers visited the victim during a shift at the recycling company before speaking to him, via an interpreter, at Widnes Police Station.

He had an unkempt appearance, did not own his own clothing and was wearing tracksuit bottoms that did not fit him, police said.

Police raided the house he had been living at in March 2018 and the couple were arrested before being released pending further enquiries.

The couple's second victim, who had also been trafficked from Lithuania, was found by police at their home just a few months later.

She had been living on the couples sofa for several weeks as their housekeeper and live-in nanny, and also did work for Jablonskaites cleaning company.

Despite being promised a weekly wage, the victim received no money from the couple, who also promised to keep her mobile phone topped up so she could contact her family, which they did not.

Police said that although the couple did feed their victims, the woman said she only ever ate at lunchtime. They also had their ID cards confiscated by the couple and were not allowed a key to their home.

A court heard that both victims felt as though they could not leave the couples home without permission.

Repsas and Jablonskaite were both charged with holding a person in slavery or servitude and requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour.

Repsas was also charged with human trafficking, while Jablonskaite was charged with three counts of that offence.

Repsas was jailed for one year and three months and Jablonskaite was handed a prison sentence of two years and four months.

A seven-year slavery and trafficking prevention order was also imposed on the pair.

Detective Inspector Julie Jackson, of the Hidden Harm Team based at Warrington Police Station, said: The two vulnerable victims in this case were sold on the idea of coming to England to work and earn money whilst living with a family from their homeland.

But they ended up being controlled and exploited by Robertas Repsas and Rita Jablonskaite, working excessive hours and not having any money to show for it.

With them having had their identification taken off them, speaking very little English, being totally dependent on the offenders and having no way of contacting anyone in Lithuania, both victims felt trapped.

Thankfully, the first victim, who was initially living in the offenders attic before having to sleep in a downstairs cupboard when they moved to a different house in Warrington, found a mobile phone whilst at work and used it to report what he was being subjected to, first to a friend and then to the Lithuanian embassy.

Those phone calls paved the way for him, and latterly the second victim, to be safeguarded and for the couple who subjected them to modern slavery to be brought to justice.

The second victim was trafficked, controlled and exploited whilst the couple knew they were being investigated for doing the same to the first victim.

This beggars belief and shows that the couple believed that they were above the law as they took advantage of vulnerable people for financial and domestic gain.

I am delighted that the pair are now behind bars facing the consequences of their actions and I hope this case reassures the community that we take reports of human trafficking and modern slavery extremely seriously.

I also hope that it deters others from committing similar offences.

Cheshires Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane, who has made it his priority to provide greater protection for victims of modern slavery, added:

This case shows the devastating effects modern slavery can have on vulnerable people who naively think they have come to Cheshire to live a better life.

In my role as the publics representative on policing and crime, and through my chairing of Cheshires Criminal Justice Board, I am committed to ensuring that we have a joined up, multi-agency approach to helping provide more support for victims of modern slavery and look to eradicate the crime from our communities.

Initiatives like the Hidden Harm Team are helping us to work with partners to locate victims and trace offenders, but I also encourage members of the community to look out for the tell-tale signs of modern slavery and report any suspicions to the police.

Originally posted here:

'Modern slaves' lived in cramped conditions and had wages withheld - Manchester Evening News