England, Wales and Scotland

The Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 come into law October 26 2024
By law, all employers now need to take steps to prevent sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is different to harassment related to a person's protected characteristic, for example sex, sexual orientation or gender reassignment. Someone could experience both types of harassment at the same time, or separately. ACAS have some useful information to help employers mee their legal duties.

The Samaritans have issued detailed and helpful Media Guidelines for Reporting Suicide for journalists to follow. It says
“Suicide is a major public health concern and is therefore a subject that is very much in the public interest”

and follows on with:

“While sensitive reporting can inform and educate the public about suicide and the signs to look out for, there is strong and consistent research evidence that some forms of news reporting lead to increases in suicide rates. Media coverage can influence how people behave in a crisis and their beliefs about the options open to them. The research shows that certain types of media depictions, such as explicitly describing a method and sensational and excessive coverage, can lead to imitational suicidal behaviour among vulnerable people. For example, in the five months following Robin Williams’ suicide in 2014, there were 1,841 more suicide deaths in the USA compared to the same time period from the previous year – a 9.85% rise. In contrast, some forms of reporting can help save lives. Coverage describing a person or character seeking help and coming through a difficult time can serve as a powerful testimony to others that this is possible and can have a protective influence over audiences. Stories can highlight that suicide is preventable and direct vulnerable people to sources of support. We know from international research that when media guidelines are followed this has a positive effect by improving reporting standards.”

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch

Fiona Scolding’s Independent Review: Statement from lead safeguarding bishop, Joanne Grenfell has said
“We welcome the independent report, commissioned by Soul Survivor, into the Mike Pilavachi case. The review takes a detailed look at the evidence produced following the allegations made by numerous individuals against Mike Pilavachi, which were then jointly investigated by the National Safeguarding Team (NST) and the Diocese of St Albans. At the heart of this case are those who came forward to share their experiences; we thank them for their courage, and we will ensure that they will continue to be supported by the Church.

“The joint investigation concluded that the concerns raised against Mike Pilavachi were substantiated. This report, which makes stark reading, identifies lessons which must be learnt about culture, practice, governance, oversight, and safeguarding arrangements at both local and national levels. The conclusions and recommendations point to the need for the whole Church to work harder at identifying, building, and supporting positive cultures in which unhealthy leadership and power dynamics can better be challenged. This must include fostering stronger scrutiny and accountability through training, supervision, and governance structures. We welcome the report’s analysis of the dangers of clericalism and what Fiona Scolding rightly calls the ‘misuse of clergy authority’.

“The report’s recommendations and findings will now be taken forward. Where appropriate, they will be incorporated into work already underway. This will include the ongoing process of revision of the Clergy Discipline Measure, as recommended by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). Fiona Scolding clearly sets out the many limitations of the current process for safeguarding matters, and we will draw on her observations as we take this work forward.

1. Consultation: Law Commission seeks views on disabled children’s social care law
The Commission is seeking views from young people, families, local authorities and social workers, and anyone else with an interest in or awareness of the area. The consultation is part of a review into the law to ensure that is fairer, simpler and more up to date.

“Disabled children’s social care law” is the body of legal rules covering:

• whether a disabled child can get help from social services to meet their needs;
• what help they can get; and
• how they get it.

This help could be personal care for a child provided in their own home by a carer. It could be a short break, to give a child the chance to get involved in activities in the community while their parent has some time off from their caring responsibilities. It could be an adaptation to a child’s home to make it accessible for a wheelchair. Alternatively, it could be direct payments so that they can purchase any of these things for themselves. A range of other services could also be provided.

The consultation is open until 20 January 2025.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

1. Former Buckinghamshire care home manager is ordered to pay £1,082 for failing to protect people from sexual assault
A former registered manager at Chesham Bois Manor (operated by B&M Investments), a Buckinghamshire care home, has been ordered to pay £1,082 by Brighton Magistrates' Court, following a prosecution brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for two offences of failing to safeguard people living in the home from abuse and improper treatment, resulting in their exposure to a significant risk of avoidable harm.

Aleksandra Krawczynska, the former registered manager of Chesham Bois Manor, pleaded guilty to two offences of failing to safeguard service users from sexual abuse, exposing them to a significant risk of avoidable harm, on or before 29 November 2021. The first offence involved a failure to operate effectively systems and processes to prevent abuse of service users contrary to Regulations 13(2) and 22(2)(b) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014; the second offence involved a failure ensure effective operation of systems and processes to investigate, immediately upon becoming aware of, allegations or evidence of abuse, contrary to Regulations 13(3) and 22(2)(b) of those Regulations.

Aleksandra Anna Krawczynska was fined £984 in court yesterday on 01 October 2024. She was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £98.

An investigation by the CQC found that Ms Krawczynska failed to implement effective systems, policies and processes for timely risk assessment and management to prevent risks posed by this person to prevent abuse of other people living at Chesham Bois Manor. Ms Krawczynska also failed to ensure effective implementation of policies and processes for conducting timely investigations following alleged incidents of inappropriate sexualised behaviour.

2. Director of dental services in northwest London was given a 12-month community order and ordered to pay £9,614 for failing to register with CQC

Karim Guirguis, also known as Kareem Guirguis, director of DE Clinics UK Limited (trading as The Dental Experts), has been ordered to pay £9,614 and issued a 12-month Community Order of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to one charge of providing services without being registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Mr Guirguis was ordered to complete a 12-month Community Order and 15 days’ Rehabilitation and Activity Requirement (RAR). Mr Guirguis was also ordered to pay a fine of £5,000, £3,000 prosecution costs, a victim surcharge of £114 and £500 in compensation to each of the three named victims. Mr Guirguis was also disqualified from being a company director for three years.

It is a criminal offence under section 10 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to carry on dental services without registration. The charge relates to composite bonding treatments that were carried out between 14 November 2022 and 5 January 2023 by DE Clinics UK Limited, trading as The Dental Experts or TDE, in breach of section 10 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Mr Guirguis, who at that time was a director or purported director, or manager or purported manager of DE Clinics UK Limited, connived or consented in the commission of the offence by DE Clinics UK Limited, contrary to section 91 of the same Act. At the time the procedures were carried out, Mr Guirguis was suspended as a dentist by the General Dental Council since 3 November 2022. Neither Mr Guirguis, DE Clinics UK Limited nor “The Dental Experts” were registered with CQC to undertake any regulated activities including surgical procedures.

The Charity Commission

3. The Charity Commission, intervenes to improve governance and safeguarding at Birmingham Mosque
On the 17 October 2024, the Charity Commission published findings of its inquiry into Dar ul Uloom Islamia Rizwia (Bralawai). The regulator found the trustees were responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement but following the Commission’s intervention, they have taken positive steps to address failures and weaknesses in how the charity operated. The charity provides a place of worship, religious teachings, community services and also operates an educational centre for the benefit of the local community of Small Heath, Birmingham.

In 2019, a safeguarding incident occurred at the charity’s education centre, prompting the regulator to open a compliance case. During this period, the trustees temporarily closed the education centre. The Commission found that the charity had no safeguarding policies in place at the time of the incident, constituting a serious breach of duty. As a result, it provided the trustees with detailed regulatory advice and guidance, requiring them to implement safeguarding measures before reopening the centre.

In November 2021, the regulator escalated its engagement to a statutory inquiry after carrying out a monitoring inspection which found the charity had reopened its education centre without implementing appropriate safeguarding measures. The Commission’s regulatory advice had not been sufficiently followed. The charity attempted to reopen again without complying in 2022, which amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement. In light of the continued failures, the Commission used its powers to appoint an Interim Manager to undertake a governance review.

The inquiry identified several regulatory issues, most of which were the result of a poor practice around implementing and following the charity’s own governance policies. This included policies on social media use, conflicts of interest and safeguarding. Additionally, the charity failed to file its accounts for financial years ending in March 2019 and 2020 – all of which amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement.

The charity’s failure to use or complete its draft social media policy contributed to the issuing of multiple inappropriate social media posts by trustees and staff which resulted in the charity receiving negative media attention. The Commission considered this as part of its inquiry and determined the trustees’ failure to have oversight or appropriately manage risks amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement. The posts have since been deleted and an apology was issued at the time.

During the inquiry, the Commission made an Order to direct the trustees to take specified action to address these issues and to improve best practice around governance.

Following this intervention, the trustees closed the education centre again and took steps to address the concerns. They provided evidence that staff Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks had been carried out, that safeguarding practices had been reviewed and implemented, and that safeguarding leads had been appointed.
The trustees have now evidenced their use and adherence to a robust social media policy, drafted in line with regulatory guidance, and the charity’s accounts have since been brought up to date. Further positive steps have been taken by trustees to adopt all recommendations made by the Interim Manager and they have evidenced their use of the regulator’s advice and guidance. In light of this progress, the Commission has now concluded its inquiry.

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

4. What price privacy? Poor Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) procedures culminate in £750k fine from ICO
The ICO has fined PSNI £750,000 for exposing the personal information of its entire workforce, leaving many fearing for their safety. The investigation found that simple-to-implement procedures could have prevented the serious breach, in which hidden data on a spreadsheet released as part of a freedom of information request revealed the surnames, initials, ranks and roles of all 9,483 PSNI officers and staff.

Mindful of the current financial position at PSNI and not wishing to divert public money from where it is needed, the Commissioner used his discretion to apply the public sector approach in this case. Had this not been applied, the fine would have been £5.6 million.

Cafcass

5. Cafcass publishes new Domestic Abuse Practice Policy
The policy sets out the practice requirements that Cafcass Family Court Advisers (FCAs) and Children’s Guardians must follow in protecting child and adult victims of domestic abuse when they advise the courts about the welfare of the child and the child’s best interests.

In June 2020, the Harm Panel published a report setting out concerns which included that the family justice system does not effectively protect victims of domestic abuse because it is adversarial, that key agencies work in silos and that a ‘contact at all costs’ culture predominates. It reported that FCAs and Children’s Guardians are not sufficiently resourced or trained, that they prioritise children spending time with a parent, even when a child says they don’t want to. The report also stated that FCA recommendations to the family court do not draw on the advice of other professionals working with families.

In response, Cafcass established a national improvement programme which required all FCAs and Children’s Guardians to undertake a mandatory learning and development programme, drawing on guidance developed with specialist domestic abuse services and families with lived experience of domestic abuse. Two senior SafeLives domestic abuse experts joined Cafcass on secondment for two years to work alongside and support the improvement work. The policy reflects the intentions of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Practice Directions 12J, and 12Q to protect child and adult victims of domestic abuse.

Cafcass has also updated its Child Safeguarding Policy to align with the requirements of the Domestic Abuse Practice Policy.

1. All UK schools offered free cyber service to protect against online threats
Following the successful initial roll out of Protective Domain Name System (PDNS) for Schools last year, all schools in the UK can now benefit from the enhanced cyber resilience service. Schools are being encouraged to sign up for a free cyber defence service from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – which helps block online threats such as malware, ransomware and phishing attacks.

Following a successful initial rollout of the PDNS (Protective Domain Name System) for Schools, the service has now been extended to more educational settings across the UK, with multi-academy trusts, academies, independent schools and school internet service providers encouraged to sign up.

The service, which is part of the recently announced partnership with Cloudflare and Accenture, prevents access to websites which are known to be malicious, limiting access to domains hosting malware, ransomware and spyware.
It means more schools – regardless of their resources or status – can now benefit from enhanced cyber resilience.
Schools continue to face a range of cyber threats to their systems with recently published figures from Ofqual showing more than a third of schools and colleges in England has experienced a cyber incident during the last academic year.

All educational organisations can sign up for ‘PDNS for Schools’ by asking their DNS provider to register for PDNS through MyNCSC.

2. Man, who used AI technology to create child sexual abuse images jailed
A man who used a computer programme and AI technology to alter photographs of real children to create sexual abuse images, and encouraged the rape of children via the internet, has been jailed. Hugh Nelson, 27, has been sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment with an additional six years on extended licence at Bolton Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to a total of 16 charges relating to child sexual abuse offences. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised five charges against Nelson after he was first arrested in June 2023 by Greater Manchester Police, and a number of his digital devices were seized and examined.

The police investigation found that Nelson, of Egerton, Bolton, frequented encrypted internet chatrooms where he would exchange and sell computer-generated images and discuss child sexual abuse with others. Through these online chatrooms Nelson accepted requests from individuals who wanted him to create explicit images depicting children being harmed both sexually and physically, which he either sold in exchange for money or shared to others for free. Some of these computer-generated images requested used images of real children.

Over an 18-month period, Nelson admits he made around £5,000 from selling these images.

Following further examination of his devices, the CPS charged Nelson with 11 additional offences on 27 February 2024.mEvidence from these searches found that on three separate occasions, to three separate individuals, Nelson exchanged messages on chatrooms which were intended to encourage the rape of children under 13.

The CPS has established a dedicated Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit where some of the particularly complex, sensitive, or detailed child sexual abuse cases are managed by specially trained prosecutors, working closely with the police to build the strongest possible cases to give victims the justice they deserve.

3. First UK-US online safety agreement pledges closer co-operation to keep children safe online
Global efforts to keep children safe online will be boosted under a new UK-US statement agreed by UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
To improve the sharing of expertise and evidence, the UK and US governments will set up and launch of a new joint children’s online safety working group.

Currently there is limited research and evidence on the causal impact that social media has on children and young people. Once established, the group will work on key areas including promoting better transparency from platforms and consider researcher’s access to privacy-preserving data on social media, helping better understand the impacts and risks of the digital world on young people, including new technologies like generative AI.

This will build on the work between the UK and international partners to help ensure safety is built into technology from the start to help deliver a more secure digital world for young people.

Both the UK and US are spearheading international approaches on children’s online safety. New figures from a UK government research report show the countries are leading efforts globally in ‘safety technology’ which is focused on creating safer online experiences for users, from helping platforms to filter out and block harmful content, to detecting and removing fraudulent advertisements. The safety technology sector in the UK is second only in size to the US, and companies contributed over £600 million to the UK economy in the last year.

4. Tackling illegal content online and implementation of the Online Safety Act: letter from Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Secretary of State
Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has written to Dame Melanie Dawes, CEO of Ofcom, regarding Ofcom’s implementation of the Online Safety Act.

5. Online abuser who targeted thousands of girls sentenced to life imprisonment for child sexual offences, blackmail and manslaughter
A prolific sex offender whose extensive online abuse of children around the world led to the death of a 12-year-old girl has been sentenced for offences including manslaughter, in what is believed to be the first conviction of its kind. Alexander McCartney (26) was prosecuted by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS) after he groomed and sexually abused thousands of young girls from countries including Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain, the United States of America and New Zealand from his home in Co. Armagh. The 185 charges he faced and eventually pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of an American girl who took her own life as a direct result of the online abuse he inflicted on her.

Pretending to be a young girl, McCartney befriended victims on social media sites and manipulated them into sending him an initial nude image of themselves. He then quickly revealed himself as a ‘catfish’ – someone who takes on a false online identity to target victims. He threatened thousands of terrified children into sending him indecent images and videos of themselves, forcing them to engage in depraved and sometimes dangerous sexual acts.

The Judge at Belfast Crown Court sentenced McCartney to a minimum tariff of 20 years imprisonment for child sexual offences, blackmail and the manslaughter of the young girl who took her own life at her home in the US in 2018.

Action Fraud: stay safe online after £1.4 million lost from email and social media account hacking in the last year
Action Fraud is warning people to provide an extra layer of protection and enable the 2-Step Verification (2SV) option, as more than 33,600 people had their social media or email accounts hacked in the last year.

Data from Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting service, shows that more than 33,600 people reported that their online accounts had been hacked from August last year, with victims losing a total of £1.4 million.

Action Fraud is launching an awareness campaign on social media and email account hacking for Cyber Security Awareness Month this year, encouraging the public to protect their online accounts from fraudsters.

What can you do to avoid being a victim?

• Use a strong and different password for your email and social media accounts. Your email and social media passwords should be strong and different from all your other passwords. Combining three random words that each mean something to you is a great way to create a password that is easy to remember but hard to crack.
• Turn on 2-Step Verification (2SV) for your email and social media accounts. 2-Step Verification (2SV) gives you twice the protection, so even if cyber criminals have your password, they can't access your email or social media account. 2SV works by asking for more information to prove your identity. For example, getting a code sent to your phone when you sign in using a new device or change settings such as your password. You won't be asked for this every time you check your email or social media.

If you live in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, victims of fraud and cybercrime should report to Police Scotland on 101.

Suspicious emails should be sent to SERS at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Find out how to protect yourself from fraud

Prosecutors authorise sex offence charges against former police officer David Carrick
Lisa Ramsarran, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in Thames and Chiltern, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised Hertfordshire Constabulary to charge David Carrick with sexual offences against two women.

“David Carrick has been charged with five counts of indecent assault, two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. He has also been charged with one count of coercive and controlling behaviour.
“As criminal proceedings against this defendant are active, there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice his right to a fair trial.”

Detective Chief Inspector Iain Moor, of Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Major Crime Unit and who led the investigation, added: “The charges come in the wake of an extensive and complex investigation conducted over a period of several months.”

Carrick’s first court appearance will take place at 10am on 17 October 2024 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

1. Former Olympian guilty of raping teenage girls
Former Olympic swimmer and trainee police officer, who represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Games, has been convicted of raping two teenage girls. Antony James, 34, was convicted by a jury at Plymouth Crown Court of eight charges, including three counts of rape, three of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent photographs of a child. James was granted conditional bail by the judge until his sentence date, which is yet to be fixed.

The jury could not reach a verdict on one count of sexual activity with a child, and five counts of rape. The Crown Prosecution Service has been given seven days to decide whether to seek a retrial on those counts.

The judge directed not guilty verdicts for three counts of intentionally encouraging/assisting an offence.

James, who was a student officer with Devon and Cornwall Police at the time of his arrest, had denied all the charges, which took place over a 10-year period between 2012 and 2022.

2. Paedophile paid woman to live stream sexual abuse on children as young as two
An Essex man who made payments to live stream and direct the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines has been jailed for 15 years. Cesar Cordero Conejo, 39, from Ilford, was investigated by National Crime Agency officers, after being identified by international law enforcement agencies as a UK-based offender obtaining child sexual abuse material and livestreamed child sexual abuse from a Filipino woman.

Information regarding Conejo, from between September 2022 and February 2023, was provided to the UK. This included a number of message exchanges between him and the woman, which were provided by Homeland Security in the US. In one message, she told Conejo that she is giving birth but doesn't have money to go to hospital, to which he replies: "well good luck ok, hope you have another girl." Later in the chat he asked her to get the children to carry out sex acts on each other.

In further messages, Conejo indicated that he wanted to travel to the Philippines to rape one of the children himself, saying that he'd pay the woman 100 dollars a day in return.

NCA investigators arrested Conejo in July 2023 and conducted searches of his home, seizing a number of devices, including a laptop and phone. Forensic examination of the devices revealed they contained in excess of 12,500 indecent images of children, including 4,706 in the most severe category A.

A number of child victims were rescued and safeguarded in the Philippines, including three in relation to this case.

He pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 4 January and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment at the same court17 October. He will also become a Registered Sex Offender for life and was given a 20-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

3. Driving Instructor who sexually assaulted five women is sentenced
A 64-year-old man from Stroud who sexually assaulted five women has been sentenced.

Michael Florek was a driving instructor and abused his position to sexually assault women while on driving lessons with him in the Stroud area. He committed the crimes between November 2016 and November 2021.

The court heard how Florek would make sexual and inappropriate comments to the women during their lessons, and he would ask them unwanted personal and sexual questions. He sexually assaulted the women, who were aged between 17 and 19, by brushing his arm and hand against their breasts and by putting his hand on their legs.

Following an appearance at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on 13 September, he was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault. Florek, who gave his address as Swallowcroft, Eastington near Stonehouse, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday 17 October and must now have his name added to the Sex Offenders' Register for the next ten years.

The 64-year-old was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which prohibits him from working or acting as a driving instructor until October 2034. During that time he must also provide police with the details of any vehicle he owns, uses or has access to.

The judge sentenced Florek to 14 months in prison, suspended for 24 months. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and undertake a rehabilitation programme for up to 30 days. He was also ordered to pay £650 in prosecution fees.

If you have experienced rape, sexual assault or abuse, and wish to report the crime, contact police by calling 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency. You can also report sexual offences online here 

There are also Sexual Assault Referral Centres across England and Wales , Northern Ireland and Scotland to support those dealing with the effects of rape and sexual abuse.

4. A former surgeon found guilty of causing harm during multiple male circumcision operations
A former surgeon, who was struck off the UK medical register in 2015, while working at Southampton General Hospital has been convicted of causing actual bodily harm, child cruelty and administering a prescription only medicine to several young and vulnerable patients for ignoring basic hygiene rules in performing home male circumcisions and showing complete disregard to patient health, safety and comfort.

Dr Mohammad Siddiqui, 58, pleaded at Southwark Crown Court on 29th October 2024 to a total of 25 offences which included, 12 counts of actual bodily harm, 5 counts of cruelty to a child and 8 counts of administering prescription only medicines contrary to the law. Between June 2012 and November 2013, Siddiqui ran a private mobile circumcision service. He was working as clinical fellow in paediatric surgery at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and in this capacity was able to source the anaesthetic Bupivacaine Hydrochloride. As part of his private circumcision service, he was travelling around the United Kingdom and by appointment performed non-therapeutic male circumcisions on young patients up to the age of 14.

In 2015 Siddiqui was struck off the General Medical Council Register after a panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found him guilty failures in performing non-therapeutic male circumcisions in the homes of four babies.

After being struck off, Siddiqui continued to operate his mobile circumcision service. He was able to do so because non-therapeutic male circumcision is unregulated and is not required to be carried out by a medical practitioner. However, Siddiqui continued to use Bupivacaine in unsafe circumstances and continued to carry out circumcisions in unsafe, unsanitary and harmful ways, demonstrating a blatant disregard to the safety of his young patients. Today he pleaded guilty of performing a catalogue of unsafe and unhygienic procedures and causing unnecessary pain and suffering.

Court News: Slavery victims worked at McDonalds
An investigation into a couple who exploited six vulnerable men working at McDonalds near Cambridge: Ernest Drevenak, 46, and Veronika Bubencikova, 46, began exploiting the men in 2015 and it continued until police were tipped off in 2019.The victims were all either homeless, unemployed or in very low paid jobs in the Czech Republic when they were approached individually by associates of the couple. They were promised work, accommodation and a better life in the UK. The associates put the victims in contact with Drevenak and helped to arrange transport to the UK. When each of the victims arrived, Drevenak and Bubencikova helped them to get jobs at the McDonald’s on the A428, in Caxton Gibbet.

The men spoke little or no English, but the couple helped with filling in forms, completing online tests and the interview process. All wages were paid into either bank accounts belonging to the couple or those they had control over. The victims were paid between £40-120 in cash by the couple every two weeks, despite regularly working 12-16 hour shifts. The remaining balance was kept by Drevenak and Bubencikova. The men were provided with accommodation at various overcrowded properties, including the couple’s home in Upper Cambourne, where six shared a single room.

At one time, seven men, including the five victims, were staying in a two-bedroom park home near Cambridge. When the victims were not working at McDonalds, they were forced to perform tasks such as cleaning, decorating and gardening for the couple. Drevenak and Bubencikova then fraudulently applied for working tax credits and child tax credits in the names of the victims despite there being no children. In one instance fabricating the names of six children and claiming one of the victims had become responsible for these, all to boost the fraudulent benefit claims. It is estimated the couple stole at least £200,000 from the men over the four-year period.

In October 2019 police received information that workers at the restaurant were being exploited. Specialist officers from the modern slavery team spoke to the victims at the restaurant on 23 October, with four of the men choosing to leave with the police. This was shortly followed by the fifth victim, and later a sixth.

All went through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) process, which ensures victims of modern slavery are provided with support and protection. An investigation into the exploitation took place, with the couple being arrested and their home searched.

Drevenak and Bubencikova denied six counts of holding a person in slavery or servitude, five counts of arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation and fraud by false representation.