A Burley couple who forced trafficked women into sex work in the UK have been jailed after a 10-year police investigation.
Polish nationals Wieslaw Michniewicz and Aleksandra Timoszek, who were married at the time, lured vulnerable women from their homeland to the UK with promises of jobs in childcare, local bars and shops.
Others believed they were travelling to the UK to start a romantic relationship with Michniewicz.
When they arrived, they were were forced into sex work, with threats of violence against them and their families.
Their travel was paid for and they were offered accommodation at the couple’s address in Willow Avenue, Burley.
£16,000 in cash was found in a safe and in a bedroom in Burley
When the victims arrived in the UK, they were told they now had a debt to pay off and were forced into sex work. Threats were made to the victims and against their families back in Poland, including threats to shame them in their communities as sex workers.
The women were forced to work up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week providing sexual services at venues including Winstons Health and Leisure, in Dewsbury Road, and Diplomat Massage Ltd, in Attercliffe Road, Sheffield.
The investigation identified 14 victims, aged between 17 and 31, who had been targeted.
Officers arrested Michniewicz and Timoszek at their home address on 14 September 2016, on suspicion of offences relating to modern slavery.
Several women were found at the address and safeguarded by police. Items recovered from the property included £16,000 in cash, mobile phones and handwritten ledgers detailing the earnings and debt for each of the women under the couple’s control.
Three luxury sports cars – a Porsche Panamera, a Porsche Carrera and an Audi R8 – were also seized from the couple.
The seized Audi R8
Michniewicz, 53, was jailed for 15 years. Timoszek, 32, was given a seven-and-a-half-year jail term following a trial at Leeds Crown Court.
Enquiries found the couple had been assisted by Michniewicz’s cousin Mariusz Seretny, who was living at Grange Close, Hunslet.
Evidence linked him to travel bookings, advertisements on sex work websites and money transfers out of the UK. His wife, Marta Seretny, was also found to have had a supporting role.
Mariusz Seretny, 45, was jailed for five years. Marta Seretny, 41, was given a 12-month community order and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Superintendent Helen Steele said: “These four were involved in an organised criminal enterprise that cruelly targeted vulnerable women and preyed on their hopes of a better life with legitimate employment in the UK.
“Instead, the victims found themselves being controlled and forced into sex work where they were relentlessly exploited and treated purely as commodities to make money from.
“The victims have each suffered harrowing experiences and have been left understandably traumatised by the ordeals they were put through. We hope that it will help them in some way to know that those responsible have now been brought to justice.
“Modern slavery offences are truly abhorrent, and we remain absolutely committed to doing everything we can to target those involved. This is a crime that is often hidden in plain sight, and we would urge members of the public to report any suspicions they have that this type of exploitation is taking place to us immediately.”
Information can be reported to West Yorkshire Police via 101, to the Modern Slavery Helpline anonymously on 08000 121 700 or online at www.modernslaveryhelpline.org or to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.