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23 Sep 2013

Arrests after ‘slavery’ raid at Welsh farm

Four people are arrested in a series of major armed police raids involving more than 100 officers at addresses allegedly linked to slavery.

The raids took place at a farm in the Marshfield area near Newport earlier and come six months after a man, missing for 13 years, was found reportedly living there as a slave.

Police found a second man also living in poor conditions – and it is believed he too had been forced to work for no wage.

He is of an Eastern European background and is now in medical care where his physical and mental condition were being assessed.

Gwent Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) targeted addresses in Cardiff, Penhow in Monmouthshire and Marshfield, Newport, in south Wales earlier.

A 66-year-old man and a woman, 42, both from Marshfield, a Cardiff man, 36, and a woman, 42, from Penhow, all remain in custody assisting police with enquiries.

Body

Forensic teams are also searching the Marshfield site on the strength of “intelligence” suggesting the body of an unknown person may be buried there.

The Gwent Police investigation, codenamed Operation Imperial, has seen the force team up with Soca, the UK Human Trafficking Centre, the RSPCA and the Red Cross.

“So far uniform officers and detectives from Gwent Police, working with other specialist units including members of the dog section, air support unit, the armed response unit have entered premises in relation to offences regarding Slavery and Servitude from the Criminal Law Act 1977 and the Coroners and Justice Act 2009,” a police spokesman said.

“Four people have so far been arrested as part of this ongoing investigation.

“A dedicated team of detectives has been responsible for bringing the long-running investigation to this latest phase which has centred around evidence and intelligence suggesting that people were being kept in poor conditions at the Marshfield site and forced to work for no pay.

“A man has been taken from the Marshfield site to an undisclosed medical reception centre where his physical and mental condition can be assessed and by specialist staff. The man whose age is unknown at this time is of Eastern European origin.”