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Lambeth slavery case

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Lambeth slavery case
LocationLambeth, South London, England
Date – 25 October 2013
Attack type
Slavery, domestic servitude
Victims
  • Aishah Wahab[1]
  • Josephine Herivel[2]
  • Rosie Davies[1]

On 21 November 2013 Metropolitan Police from the Human Trafficking Unit arrested two suspects at a residential address in Lambeth, South London. A 73-year-old British man, Aravindan Balakrishnan, and a 67-year-old non-British woman, his wife, Chanda Pattni,[3] had been investigated for slavery and domestic servitude.[3][4] Three women – a 69-year-old Malaysian woman (later revealed to be Aishah Wahab),[1] a 57-year-old Irish woman (Josephine Herivel) and a 30-year-old British woman (Rosie Davies) had been rescued from the same residence on 25 October 2013.[4]

Imprisonment and rescue

The two older victims are believed to have met the male suspect Balakrishnan (also known as "Comrade Bala"[5]) in London through, according to police, a shared political ideology,[6] as he was the former leader of the Workers' Institute of Marxism–Leninism–Mao Zedong Thought.[7] The women were not being physically restrained, but held by "invisible handcuffs" after being subjected to brainwashing, emotional abuse and physical abuse by their captors.[8] The three women, who are not related, are said to have been held captive for more than 30 years with the youngest of the three thought to have spent her whole life in servitude.[9] However it has not yet been established if she was born in the house from where she was rescued.[9] The police were tipped off by Freedom Charity who contacted police following a phone call they had received on 18 October where a woman had phoned to say she'd been held unwillingly for more than 30 years.[8][10] Aneeta Prem of Freedom Charity confirmed that the Irish woman made contact with the charity after watching the ITV television documentary Forced to Marry about forced marriage in the United Kingdom.[10][11] The women, who are said to be "highly traumatised", are now in safe accommodation.[9]

The two suspects were bailed until April 2014,[12] and were unable to return to the three-bedroom flat they rented from a housing association.[6]

On 11 December 2014, it emerged that Aravindan Balakrishnan had been charged with offences relating to cruelty to a person under 16, four counts of rape and 17 counts of indecent assault. Balakrishnan appeared before Westminster magistrates on 17 December 2014.[13] His wife, Chanda Pattni, was released earlier in 2014, as there was considered to be insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.[14] Balakrishnan's trial started on 11 November 2015.[15] On 4 December 2015, Balakrishnan was convicted of child cruelty, false imprisonment, four counts of rape, six counts of indecent assault and two counts of assault.[16] On 29 January 2016, Balakrishnan was jailed for 23 years. [17]

References

  1. ^ a b c Patrick Sawer, et al "How Chairman Mao of Brixton built his sect of 'slaves’", telegraph.co.uk, 2013
  2. ^ Martin Evans, et al "Irish 'slave' revealed as daughter of Bletchley Park code breaking hero ", telegraph.co.uk, 26 November 2013
  3. ^ a b Halliday, Josh; Walker, Peter (November 21, 2013). "Three women rescued after 'decades of slavery' in south London home". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Women victims 'held for 30 years'". London Evening Standard. November 21, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  5. ^ http://www.theweek.co.uk/66856/comrade-bala-who-is-the-communist-cult-leader
  6. ^ a b Martin Evans "Slavery case: suspects named as former Maoist collective leaders", telegraph.co.uk, 25 November 2013
  7. ^ 'Slave' house couple 'leaders of 1970s political cult'", Channel 4 News, 25 November 2013
  8. ^ a b Davenport, Justin (November 22, 2013). "London slave women endured 30 years of beatings, brainwashing and emotional control". London Evening Standard. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  9. ^ a b c "Women 'held as slaves for 30 years'". BBC News. November 21, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Irishwoman raises alarm after being held captive 'for decades' in south London home". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. November 21, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  11. ^ Robertson, James; Jefferies, Mark (November 23, 2013). "Lambeth 'slaves rescue': Woman 'called Freedom Charity after watching TV documentary on forced marriage'". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  12. ^ Danny Shaw [1] twitter.com, 21 January 2014
  13. ^ "Man charged in London 'slavery' inquiry", BBC News, 11 December 2014
  14. ^ Josh Halliday "London ‘slavery’ case: CPS charges Aravindan Balakrishnan", The Guardian, 11 December 2014
  15. ^ Gordon Rayner (November 12, 2015). "Maoist cult leader sexually assaulted followers and kept daughter as slave for 30 years, court hears". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  16. ^ "Maoist cult leader guilty of child cruelty and sexual assaults", The Guardian, 4 December 2015
  17. ^ "Maoist cult leader Aravindan Balakrishnan jailed for 23 years - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
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