Woman guilty of human trafficking

17 March 2011

"Human trafficking is one of the biggest generators of criminal finance in the world. Forcing people to work as slaves is a deplorable part of this immoral trade and one that we will do everything we can to stop."

She received a 9 month sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to pay £25,000 in compensation to the 48-year-old Tanzanian victim and also £15,000 in costs. These sums must be paid within the next 42 days.

During the trial, which began on the 7 March, the jury heard how Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Services' Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command arrested Khan, after receiving intelligence that she had trafficked a woman from Tanzania to work as a slave in her home.

After receiving this intelligence they launched an investigation with help from a number of charitable organizations.

Detectives arrived at Khan's home address in Whitmore Road, Harrow, west London on 11 February 2010, to rescue the 47-year-old victim.

Later, after a search of the Harrow address they found a thin folded up mattress in the hallway with sheets that looked like they were being used as a duvet cover. It was only after interviewing the victim that the specialist officers discovered the extent of her traumatising experience as a slave in Khan's home.

The victim met Khan when she worked for her at a hospital in Tanzania prior to 2005. After she was made redundant, the victim wrote to the hospital to see if any other roles were available. She was told that there was one role working for Khan in England to assist with domestic help and care for her grown-up children.

The victim accepted this job offer and a contract was drawn up which stated that she would receive 120,000 Tanzanian shillings each month which equates to about £38.

Fifty thousand of this would be given to her daughter for her school fees in Tanzania, another 50,000 would be transferred to an account in the victim's name and the remaining 20,000 would be paid as £10 each month for her personal needs while she was in London. The victim was helped to open the account in Tanzania into which the 50,000 shillings would be paid each month. However, she had no way of checking that this money went into the account as she was not even told the account number.

In October 2006, the victim travelled to London where she began work. Khan confiscated her passport and visa documents and kept her belongings locked in the shed in the back garden.

From the moment she arrived in the UK she was put to work - her day began at 5am when she was given her list of household chores which included cooking, cleaning, gardening and caring for Khan's grown up children who did not live at the address full-time. She would often work through the night until the following morning, going without sleep to complete her tasks. She always worked a seven-day week.

Despite owning a three-bedroom bungalow, Khan did not allow the victim a bedroom or even a bed of her own; instead she was forced to sleep on a thin mattress on the kitchen floor. She was never allowed to eat with the family and often she was only given bread to eat.

Khan controlled everything that the victim did - she was not usually allowed to go out of the house alone, she was not allowed to make any phone calls without Khan being present and she was not allowed any time off work at all. On one occasion the victim wished to return to Tanzania to see her dying parents - she was prevented from doing so by Khan, and never saw her mother or father alive again.

From October 2006 until October 2007 the victim received the £10 monthly payments she expected but suddenly they stopped, and then a year later, in 2008, her daughter was unable to pay for her school fees as the money which she had previously been collecting from the hospital in Tanzania, was suddenly not available to her any more.

Whenever the victim attempted to ask for payment or enquire why she was not receiving the money she was owed, she would be shouted at or told that she should stop complaining and that she would be rewarded in the after life for her hard work.

It was only when the victim required urgent medical attention on the 1 February 2010 that her dire living situation was uncovered. The doctor she saw requested that she was seen without Khan by her side as had always been the case previously. This was the first chance the victim had to ask for help in the four years she had been working in Khan's house. The victim was rescued by officers and offered support by a number of different charitable organizations.

On 1 September 2010, Khan attended Charring Cross Police station, where she was charged in connection with the exploitation of the 47-year-old-woman. In interview she claimed that the victim was happy working for her, that there had been no mistreatment, that it was the victim's choice not to go out of the house much and that she preferred to eat alone.

During the time between her arrest and being charged with the offence, Khan attempted to get her passport (which had been confiscated by police) returned so that she could fly to Tanzania. She requested it for a holiday and only a week later after this was refused, she claimed she needed to attend her brother's funeral in Tanzania. Investigations into the activity on the victim's Tanzanian bank account revealed that a lump sum had been transferred to give the impression that the money owed had in fact been paid.

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Martin, who heads the Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command, said: "Human trafficking is one of the biggest generators of criminal finance in the world. Forcing people to work as slaves is a deplorable part of this immoral trade and one that we will do everything we can to stop.

"This particular case highlights the lengths that traffickers will go to when trying to avoid prosecution. I would like to commend the victim who has shown incredible strength and courage by coming forward to the authorities to relay her terrifying and degrading ordeal."

"We continue to work closely with charitable organisations involved in this sensitive area of crime and hope to rescue other women, men or children who are being exploited by these despicable criminals."

Saeeda Khan, aged 68 (28.04.42) a house wife of Whitmore Road, Harrow was found guilty of one count of human trafficking at Southwark Crown Court today, 16 March. She received a 9 month sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to pay £25,000 in compensation to the 48-year-old Tanzanian victim and also £15,000 in costs. These sums must be paid within the next 42 days.