Couple jailed for forcing trafficked women from Romania into sex work in Leeds
A couple have been jailed for arranging for women, trafficked from abroad, to be used as sex workers across the country, including in areas of Leeds.
Costel Tambac and Mariana Iova “bought” the women who were then held against their will, threatened with violence and rape, and forced into sleeping with up to eight men a day for very little money.
They were prostituted in the Harehills and Holbeck area of the city, as well as other town and cities including Liverpool, Nottingham and Wolverhampton.
The Romanian pair were found guilty after a trial at Leeds Crown Court of two counts of sexual exploitation of a female victim and two counts of controlling prostitution for gain.
The court heard two victims, aged 19 and 25 were groomed in their home country of Romania and persuaded to be transported to the UK on a minibus.
One thought she was in a relationship with the man who groomed her, while both were promised agency work in a meat factory.
Once in the UK, Tambac and Iova paid money for the women and took their mobile phones from them and identity cards from them.
They were put to work as sex workers, along with other women, at a house in Wolverhampton.
Tambac, in particular, was aggressive towards them and threatened them regularly. He even kicked one of the victims while she was pregnant.
Iova was responsible for advertising their services on websites and arranging appointments with clients.
Tambac would drive the women to clients also. Money was handed over to the who would be permitted to keep as little as £10 per day, prosecutor Conor Quinn said.
He said that although the amount of money they earned is unknown, the scale of the operation was reflected in the £26,000 spent on advertising the girls’ services.
One was able to escape after three months having sought help from a member of the public.
Another remained under the couple’s control for two years, having been transported to Spain and Belgium.
Officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking team began the investigation in 2016 when one of the victims came forward.
Tambac, 50, and Iova, 35, both formerly of Moorhey Street, Oldham, Greater Manchester, then fled the UK while they were still under investigation.
Officers sought international arrest warrants, and the pair were traced to Amsterdam where they were arrested earlier this year and extradited back to the UK.
Judge Andrew Stubbs KC said the victims had “fallen into the clutches” of criminals.
He said the they were “subject to violence” by Tambac and Iova from the start, and “effectively held captive”.
Tambac was jailed for nine years, with Iova jailed for eight years.
They were also given slavery and trafficking prevention orders.
Speaking after sentencing, senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Helen Steele, said: “First and foremost, my thoughts go out to the victims who suffered an horrendous ordeal.
“They were brought over to the UK under false pretences by organised criminals where they were sold as a commodity to be financially and sexually exploited through controlled prostitution.
“I hope the guilty verdicts together with the sentences handed down today will bring them some comfort as they continue with the process of rebuilding their lives.”
“I would also like to thank them for their bravery, their patience and their resilience as we pursued our investigation.
“Our investigation was complex and began nine years ago when one of the victims came forward.
“It was the first ever investigation for West Yorkshire Police to conduct as a joint investigation team with the Romanian authorities, who I would also like to thank as it meant we could maximise all investigational opportunities.
“The joint investigation team also led to the Romanian authorities convicting the people responsible for trafficking the victims to the UK.
“A successful prosecution would not have been possible without the assistance of colleagues in Romania.”