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Sports Direct 'modern slavery' brothers jailed Sports Direct modern slavery brothers jailed
(about 1 hour later)
Two brothers who conned and threatened Sport Direct agency workers have been jailed. Two brothers who trafficked 18 people from Poland to the UK and conned and threatened them have been jailed.
Erwin and Krystian Markowski, both from Nottingham, recruited 18 vulnerable men in Poland and sent them to the retailer's warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire. Erwin and Krystian Markowski, both from Nottingham, recruited the vulnerable men to work at the Sports Direct warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire.
The pair controlled their victims' bank accounts and kept most of their wages, Nottingham Crown Court heard. The pair controlled their victims' bank accounts and kept most of their wages, totalling £35,000, between 2015 and 2016, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
They have both been sentenced to six years in prison for "modern slavery". They have both been sentenced to six years in prison for modern slavery.
Erwin, 39, of Cedar Road, and Krystian, 35, of Harcourt Road, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to arrange travel with a view to exploitation and fraud by false representation. Erwin, 38, of Cedar Road, and Krystian, 35, of Harcourt Road, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to arrange travel with a view to exploitation and fraud by false representation.
They were given a two-and-a-half year sentence for fraud to run at the same time as the six years.They were given a two-and-a-half year sentence for fraud to run at the same time as the six years.
Updates on this story and more from NottinghamshireUpdates on this story and more from Nottinghamshire
The prosecution accepted it wasn't "forced labour" but said the workers had "very little choice". The Markowski's paid for the Polish men to travel to the UK, but when they arrived their passports were taken and they were "totally isolated".
During the sentencing, Judge Stephen Coupland said: "It was a planned and systematic scheme to traffic others, for you to control them and benefit from their hard work, whilst they received very little and lived in poor conditions." Some victims spoke of being treated "like a piece of rubbish" and said the brothers "destroyed their lives".
One man was promised a flat but received a urine soaked mattress.
The case came to light when one of the victims reported his ordeal to police in January 2016.
During the sentencing, Judge Stephen Coupland, said it was a "planned and systematic" scheme of "human trafficking".
He said: "You employed a spotter in Poland to identify people who were vulnerable. Your intention, by selecting vulnerable people, was to make it easier to control them over here.
"You controlled their ability to contact others by using physical and verbal threats, using actual violence on occasions."
The prosecution accepted it was not "forced labour" but said the workers had "very little choice".
Chief crown prosecutor Janine Smith said: "The Markowski's preyed on vulnerable people in Poland and promised them accommodation and a tempting wage in order to lure them to the UK.
"The reality upon arrival was a life of squalid living conditions and near total control by the defendants."
Det Con Sarah Fearn, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "The Markowski brothers financially benefited from the hard work of others and in return the victims were left feeling used, distressed and manipulated."
In a statement, Sports Direct said it welcomed the conviction and "will not tolerate these kinds of behaviour".