‘I was kidnapped and thrust into sordid life of rape, beatings and threats’ - sex trafficking victim tells how she was forced into prostitution

A sex trafficking survivor who escaped from her captors in Northern Ireland is still trying to secure compensation for her ordeal – 11 years after her escape.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Anna, not her real name, was taken captive by a Romanian gang in London in March 2011. The News Letter has seen a certificate from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) which confirms she is a victim of human trafficking.

In 2011 she was living in London and was walking home from work when she was grabbed from behind and forced into a car. The gang took her identification and warned that if she tried to escape they would come for her family in Romania.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“A woman in the car said she was from the next village to my family,” said Anna, who was 22 at the time.

A woman, centre, is lead away by police ,after they raided a house during an operation to rescue a number of womenA woman, centre, is lead away by police ,after they raided a house during an operation to rescue a number of women
A woman, centre, is lead away by police ,after they raided a house during an operation to rescue a number of women

She believes they had been stalking her for some time.

As they drove to Luton Airport the woman told her: “If you run I will make sure that your parents are killed. If you say anything in the airport I will kill you right there.”

Anna hoped she could run at Galway Airport, but it was so small that as soon as she got out of the plane they were outside and met by two accomplices.

She was driven to a flat where she was held down, beaten and raped.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I fainted and woke up in a cold shower,” she said. “In the first weeks they brought in customers that were their friends, all nationalities. Nobody ever asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I was beaten in front of the clients. They all knew what was happening.”

She was moved around to Galway, Limerick and Belfast.

Sobbing, she said she believes the men who paid to use her came from all walks of life – civil servants, politicians and wealthy businessmen.

She escaped several times but the gang sent messages to her via social media threatening to murder her and her family. Her mother in Romania said she was getting threatening phone calls and had strange cars parked outside. Friends in London had been warned not to help on pain of death. She felt she had no choice but to return.

However, nine months after her kidnapping she escaped to a rival Irish gang where she was treated much better and was later able to leave the sex trade. But she still suffers greatly from the ordeal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I can’t sleep at night and have massive migraines, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression,” she said. “My eyes are so damaged that I will probably go blind in 20 years. Last year I had 12 broken teeth replaced.”

Two of the gang were later jailed in Stockholm and Belfast. A book has now been written about her life, ‘Slave’ by Jason Johnson, which has been turned into a BBC film.

Despite the physical and psychological injuries, she is now working full time and studying for a law degree.

In 2014 she applied for compensation under The NI Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2009, through Victim Support NI (VSNI). It is funded by the Department of Justice (DoJ) to assist victims in making applications.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“However, they told me they could not progress my application because the PSNI did not confirm that I was a human trafficking victim,” she said.

“But I had the official SOCA certificate to prove I was a victim. So how was that possible?”

Victim Support NI said it had been trying to contact her for several years but that she had moved. It is understood the application has now been reactivated.

Asked if it was true that it had failed to confirm her status as a victim, the PSNI said: “We do not comment on named individuals and no inference should be drawn from this.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The DOJ confirmed that victims are able to make applications for compensation. The DoJ decides on the outcome of each application.

READ MORE:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor