Romanian national Laurentiu Ciurar of Tirmacrannon Road, Loughgall, County Armagh, was sentenced to three months in prison when he appeared before Craigavon Magistrates’ Court on 22 August.

Ciurar was convicted of acting as an unlicensed gangmaster under Section 12(1) of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004.

He was found to have supplied workers into the agricultural, food processing and packaging industries in the County Armagh area without a GLAA licence between October 2013 and September 2014.

Ciurar failed to attend court on two separate occasions in June and July of this year before a warrant was served for his arrest.

In addition to the custodial sentence, he was handed down an offender levy of £25.
Judge Bernie Kelly, in sentencing Ciurar, said he made money from some of the most vulnerable people in society, adding that she wanted to “send a public message” that this sort of offending would not be tolerated.

It is a criminal offence to provide labour in the agricultural and food processing sectors without a GLAA licence. The maximum penalty is 10 years in prison and a fine.

It is also an offence to use labour provided by unlicensed labour providers, with this offence carrying a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine.