Three traumatized women have been rescued from
a London home after one called a charity to say she'd been held against
her will for more than three decades.
Metropolitan Police said a 67-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman were arrested on today at a home in south London as part of an investigation into slavery and domestic servitude.
The investigation comes after a charity contacted police in October to report that a woman had phoned to say she'd been held unwillingly for more than 30 years.
The catalyst for the call was a television documentary on forced marriages, according to police.
Police said further inquiries revealed the location of the south London house and that with the help of Freedom Charity, a 69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old British woman were rescued.
"All three women, who were highly traumatized, were taken to a place of safety where they remain," police said in a statement, adding that an investigation of the "very serious" allegations was underway.
It was unclear which woman claimed she had been held for more than 30 years and there was no other information immediately on the circumstances of the other two.
Metropolitan Police said a 67-year-old man and a 67-year-old woman were arrested on today at a home in south London as part of an investigation into slavery and domestic servitude.
The investigation comes after a charity contacted police in October to report that a woman had phoned to say she'd been held unwillingly for more than 30 years.
The catalyst for the call was a television documentary on forced marriages, according to police.
Police said further inquiries revealed the location of the south London house and that with the help of Freedom Charity, a 69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old British woman were rescued.
"All three women, who were highly traumatized, were taken to a place of safety where they remain," police said in a statement, adding that an investigation of the "very serious" allegations was underway.
It was unclear which woman claimed she had been held for more than 30 years and there was no other information immediately on the circumstances of the other two.
All three, who police described as 'highly traumatised', are together in a secret location.
Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland, from the Met's human trafficking unit, has told the BBC that interviews with the two suspects are being carried out now, and are expected to continue into the evening.
All three women were highly traumatised and were taken to a place of safety, where they remain. They are in the care of a charity who deal with people who are deeply traumatised.‘These are deeply traumatised people and it is essential that we works sensitively to establish the facts in this case. When we had established the facts, we conducted the arrests this morning.
‘We’ve established that all three women were held in this situation for at least 30 years. They did have some controlled freedom.
Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland, from the Met's human trafficking unit, has told the BBC that interviews with the two suspects are being carried out now, and are expected to continue into the evening.
All three women were highly traumatised and were taken to a place of safety, where they remain. They are in the care of a charity who deal with people who are deeply traumatised.‘These are deeply traumatised people and it is essential that we works sensitively to establish the facts in this case. When we had established the facts, we conducted the arrests this morning.
‘We’ve established that all three women were held in this situation for at least 30 years. They did have some controlled freedom.
Q&A: WHAT THE POLICE KNOW ABOUT THE SLAVERY CASE
Who are the victims: A 69-year-old
Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old British
woman.
Who has been arrested: A British couple, both 67
Where were the arrests made: In Lambeth, south London
Are the victims related? Police say they do not believe them to be.
Are they in police custody? Scotland Yard say they are in another place of safety. 'They are extremely traumatised which explains the discrepancy between with the Freedom Charity were contacted and the arrests were made. We continue to work closely with the victims to gather further information,' a spokesman said.
Was the youngest victim born in the house in Lambeth? 'We are not sure where she was born but she appears to have been in servitude for her entire life,' the spokesman said.
Have you dealt with similar cases before? 'The Met's unit has dealt with cases of people held in servitude against their will for around 10 years. This is the first time we have come across people who have been held for such a considerable length of time,' the spokesman said.
Has the youngest victim had contact with the outside world? The Met said: 'We believe that she, and the others, had limited freedom. We will continue to speak to the victims to ascertain what this ascertained'
Who has been arrested: A British couple, both 67
Where were the arrests made: In Lambeth, south London
Are the victims related? Police say they do not believe them to be.
Are they in police custody? Scotland Yard say they are in another place of safety. 'They are extremely traumatised which explains the discrepancy between with the Freedom Charity were contacted and the arrests were made. We continue to work closely with the victims to gather further information,' a spokesman said.
Was the youngest victim born in the house in Lambeth? 'We are not sure where she was born but she appears to have been in servitude for her entire life,' the spokesman said.
Have you dealt with similar cases before? 'The Met's unit has dealt with cases of people held in servitude against their will for around 10 years. This is the first time we have come across people who have been held for such a considerable length of time,' the spokesman said.
Has the youngest victim had contact with the outside world? The Met said: 'We believe that she, and the others, had limited freedom. We will continue to speak to the victims to ascertain what this ascertained'
This sure requires more information. So much loopholes in the police story.
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