A PERIVALE doctor and nurse kept a man as a slave in their home for almost a quarter of a century.
Phlebotomist Emmanuel Edet, 61, and his wife Antan, 58, a senior
nursing sister, have each been
jailed for six years for holding a person
in slavery or servitude, child cruelty and assisting unlawful
immigration. The couple, who live in Haymill Close, were sentenced on Monday.
The Edets took a boy from his home country Nigeria when he was 13, without his family's permission, and made him carry out arduous, unpaid labour for 24 years.
He was forced to work for around 17 hours every day at their homes in
Chatham, Scarborough, Walsall, Northolt and Perivale, and made to sleep
on a dirty piece of foam on the hallway floor.
The Edets claimed they had adopted him as their son, but in reality
forbade him from eating in the same room as them or even entering most
of the rooms in the house unless to clean them.
The boy was called a ‘parasite’ and convinced that if he went to the
police he would be arrested for being an illegal immigrant.
They controlled their victim so effectively that even when they left
him alone in the house for weeks at a time, he did not run away.
But after seeing media reports about modern slavery, he realised the
life he was being made to lead was wrong and emailed the charity Hope
for Justice, who referred the matter to the MPS Trafficking and Kidnap
Unit.
He is now living a new life in the UK. Police said he is studying and
has a job and a home with his own bed and freedom to move.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Brewer of the Trafficking and Kidnap
Unit, said: "The Edets took self-appointed ownership of the victim. They
controlled what he wore, what he did and how he spoke for the majority
of his life.
"When the victim left Nigeria, he was a young boy with aspirations but
the Edets abused him until he became timid, nervous and obedient.
“They conditioned him to the degree that when we visited him at the
Perivale address and tried to lead him into the living room to speak, he
became visibly shaken at the thought of breaking the Edets' rules about
going into that room.
“It was only when he went into the kitchen that he was able to relax and speak openly to police.
"While he will never fully overcome what happened during those 24
years, he is determined to make the most of the rest of his life and
today's conviction will help him feel he can do that. In his own words,
he has hope and a future now.
"I urge anyone else being treated the way that this victim was to
please tell the police or call the national trafficking helpline. There
are specially trained people waiting to help you."
Ben Cooley, CEO at Hope for Justice, said: "The victim's story is
saddening but, unfortunately, not surprising to me. Hope for Justice
identifies cases of human trafficking on a weekly basis; since January
our teams have already helped 70 victims here in the UK.
“He was very courageous to come forward when he did.
“To all those others still out there I say: please have the confidence
to come forward, we will do all that we can to help you."
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