Boss of UK bed factory charged with human trafficking and slavery offences
25 November 2014
The owner of a bed factory that supplied chains such as Next and John Lewis has been charged with human trafficking and slavery offences, the Sunday Times reports.
Tue, 25 Nov 2014
The owner of a bed factory that supplied chains such as Next and John Lewis has been charged with human trafficking and slavery offences, the Sunday Times reports.
Mohammed Rafiq, owner of West Yorkshire-based Kozeesleep, and two of his employees have been charged with conspiracy to facilitate travel within the UK for exploitation. He is thought to be the first head of a UK firm to be charged with such offences.
Authorities were alerted in 2011 when a trafficking victim contacted the Hope for Justice charity. It helped him to escape to a safe house, which led to more victims escaping.
West Yorkshire police then launched Operation Tavernhouse, which resulted in the convictions in May of Hungarian traffickers Janos Orsos, jailed for five years, and Ferenc Illes, jailed for three years, and now the charges against Rafiq.
West Yorkshire publication The Press reported that Kozeesleep admitted Orsos had supplied the factory with temporary staff but that the nature of his relationship to the workers he abused was not revealed to the company until later.
The Times reported that after Orsos and Illes were convicted, a lawyer for Kozeesleep said the company was unaware of any exploitation.
However, at almost the same time the company [Kozeesleep] told Next that Orsos had threatened staff until they handed over their wages and that the wages of some temporary staff had been paid directly to Orsos.
The Hungarian victims of Orsos and Illes lived on scraps of food, with up to 42 men living in a single two-bedroom house. They worked for up to 20 hours a day for as little as £10 a week.
One of their victims was paid just £30 for more than 21 weeks’ work and was given so little food that he lost more than 22lb (10kg) in weight.
Police concluded the workers had been kept as slaves.
Both John Lewis and Next have terminated their contracts with Kozeesleep. Rafiq has been bailed and will appear before the magistrates court next month.
The owner of a bed factory that supplied chains such as Next and John Lewis has been charged with human trafficking and slavery offences, the Sunday Times reports.
Mohammed Rafiq, owner of West Yorkshire-based Kozeesleep, and two of his employees have been charged with conspiracy to facilitate travel within the UK for exploitation. He is thought to be the first head of a UK firm to be charged with such offences.
Authorities were alerted in 2011 when a trafficking victim contacted the Hope for Justice charity. It helped him to escape to a safe house, which led to more victims escaping.
West Yorkshire police then launched Operation Tavernhouse, which resulted in the convictions in May of Hungarian traffickers Janos Orsos, jailed for five years, and Ferenc Illes, jailed for three years, and now the charges against Rafiq.
West Yorkshire publication The Press reported that Kozeesleep admitted Orsos had supplied the factory with temporary staff but that the nature of his relationship to the workers he abused was not revealed to the company until later.
The Times reported that after Orsos and Illes were convicted, a lawyer for Kozeesleep said the company was unaware of any exploitation.
However, at almost the same time the company [Kozeesleep] told Next that Orsos had threatened staff until they handed over their wages and that the wages of some temporary staff had been paid directly to Orsos.
The Hungarian victims of Orsos and Illes lived on scraps of food, with up to 42 men living in a single two-bedroom house. They worked for up to 20 hours a day for as little as £10 a week.
One of their victims was paid just £30 for more than 21 weeks’ work and was given so little food that he lost more than 22lb (10kg) in weight.
Police concluded the workers had been kept as slaves.
Both John Lewis and Next have terminated their contracts with Kozeesleep. Rafiq has been bailed and will appear before the magistrates court next month.
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