English court jails Czech couple for human trafficking at McDonald's in Luton

An English court has sentenced two Czechs to eight and six-and-a-half years in prison for trafficking vulnerable people to Britain and forcing them to work. It was the final of three trials in the modern slavery case.

Czech couple convicted in England for forced labour in McDonald's restaurant

An English court has sentenced a Czech couple to eight and six-and-a-half years in prison for their participation in a criminal network operating a modern slavery scheme, according to iDNES.cz citing local media including the BBC. Thursday's verdict concluded the final of three trials that examined what was described as a family-run enterprise focused on the exploitation of people.

The network specialised in trafficking financially vulnerable people and homeless individuals from the Czech Republic to the United Kingdom, the court found. Upon arrival in Britain, these people were forced to work at a McDonald's fast-food outlet in Luton.

The case was divided into three separate trials. Thursday's verdict brought the conclusion of the last of these and confirmed the scale of the organised criminal activity involving multiple members of one family. British justice thus closed a series of proceedings that had lasted several years.

Modern slavery – that is, forced labour and human trafficking for exploitation – constitutes a serious criminal offence under both British and European law. Cases of this type in Britain involve, among others, citizens from Central European countries who are lured by promises of work and better earnings but find themselves without resources and under the control of the network's organisers upon arrival.

British media, including the BBC, gave sustained attention to the entire case from the outset of the first trial. Those convicted in this final proceeding are further members of the group whose guilt was proven before an English court.

Source: iDNES.cz