by Footage of police raiding a flat in Oldham where a ‘depraved’ gang was holding a Romanian woman has been released.
The gang, which included a brother and sister, tricked the young mother into coming to the UK before forcing her into sex work. Five men and one woman have now been jailed for a total of 16 years for human trafficking, controlling prostitution for profit and modern slavery offences.
Footage released by Greater Manchester Police shows the moment three men – Stefan Boeru, Dan Scurtu and Gheorghe Rusu – were arrested. The force said the case was ‘a solemn reminder that modern slavery is happening here in Greater Manchester’.
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In the videos, Scrutu, who is wearing a white top and trousers with red braces and a gold necklace, has his hands in his pockets and is under arrest on suspicion of modern slavery. Responding calmly, he asks, “I’m sorry? Me?”, to which the officer answers, “Yes, you.”
Boeru, who is dressed in a gray sweater, is seen being searched by a policeman who tells him to take off his necklace. Rusu is sitting in bed watching TV as the police ask him to confirm his identity and hear a woman raise her voice and say, “no, no”.
The victim, who is originally from Romania and cannot be named for legal reasons, was persuaded to move to the UK by the promise of a well-paid cleaning job. But she was imprisoned in a flat on Ashton Road and forced to have sex with multiple men every night.
The gang threatened to beat her and told her she would never see her children again unless she worked as an escort, the court heard. The victim told the police that she met a woman named Anisoara Stan in Nice, France, where she was living at the time.
Stan promised her a cleaning job and they both arranged to fly to Manchester on January 11th. At the airport they were met by Stefan Boeru who drove them back to the flat on Ashton Road. The victim was then met by another man who threatened her, saying she owed €6,000 for her accommodation and flight and that the only way she could pay this was to work as an escort.
Stan told her that she would never see her children again and warned that she would be beaten if she did not do what she was told. She was then driven around Manchester and made to have sex with several men every night. It is estimated that the gang were making around £1,000 a night.
The case first came to the attention of the police on January 27 when a man living in London received a message from the woman – a friend of hers – who told him that she was being held prisoner in a flat in Oldham. He immediately told the Metropolitan Police who informed GMP.
Detectives from Oldham CID then began to locate the flat, which initially only had a partial postcode. When they raided the property they found the victim inside with three men, who were all arrested. A special unit, code-named Operation Hollow, was set up and through what police described as an ‘extensive examination’ of mobile phone data, CCTV and financial transactions officers were able to create a timeline of how the woman was coerced engage in prostitution and work out. some of the locations where it was built.
With three of the gang already arrested, questioned and charged, the police found and issued arrest warrants for the other members, one of whom, Victor-Viorel Stan, was arrested by police in Essex while trying to flee the United Kingdom by boat.
The gang appeared in court on Wednesday (September 11) and received the following sentences:
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Anisoara Stan, 44, of Ashton Road, Oldham, pleaded guilty to human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain and was jailed for six years and eight months.
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Victor-Viorel Stan, 41, of Howgill Crescent, Oldham, pleaded guilty to controlling prostitution for gain and was jailed for four years and eight months.
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Gheorghe Rusu, 42, of Abson Street, Oldham, pleaded guilty to controlling prostitution for gain and was sentenced to 22 months.
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Dan Scurtu, 42, of Western Road in Newham, London, pleaded guilty to controlling prostitution for gain and was jailed for 16 months
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Daniel Dobrin, 20, of Crofton Street, Oldham and Stefan Boeru, 24, of Howgill Crescent, Oldham, pleaded guilty to controlling prostitution for gain and both received 12-month prison terms.
Speaking after the incident, Detective Superintendent Andy Fink of Oldham CID paid tribute to the bravery of the victim. He said: “First of all, my sincere thanks go to the victim in this case, who was cruelly stripped of her dignity and human rights from the moment she landed on UK soil.
“Without her bravery and continued support, we would not be able to find and bring all the offenders to justice and, while we know today’s sentence will not erase the memories she has left, we hope it’s a small thing. I am also grateful to the specialist police officers who provided much needed support to the victim.
“She has been repatriated and is now safe and sound. These six are pathetic individuals who deserve to be thrown away for the future.
“This case is a solemn reminder that modern slavery is happening here in Greater Manchester. We continue to use all criminal and civil powers at our disposal to prosecute those responsible and help victims find a way forward to rebuild their lives.”
