PICTURED: London 'slaves' first images revealed as Comrade Bala's bizarre sect caught on camera

27 Nov 2013 00:00The 73-year-old Aravindan Balakrishnan was filmed by news crews in 1997 at the inquest of Sian Davies, whodied in a horror plunge from a window

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Prince Charles and Prince William appeal for an end to poaching during London zoo visit

It was a father and son outing to London Zoo for the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge who attended the “United for Wildlife” meeting, hoping to tackle the unprecedented rise in the illegal wildlife trade 8:36PM GMT 26 Nov 2013

The Duke of Cambridge declared his new United for Wildlife project can make a real difference to animal conservation as he marvelled at London Zoo's star attractions - the tigers.

William was joined by his father, the Prince of Wales, as he convened the first official meeting of the umbrella organisation he has assembled to help tackle the threat to the world's wildlife.

Before the talks began, the two men - who are both passionate about conservation - toured the tiger enclosure and got close to some of the big cats that face an uncertain future in the wild.

During the tour, the Duke spoke about his plans for United for Wildlife, saying he wanted to get conservation leaders and experts around the table.

He added that he wanted to get "them in one room to focus their energy and their commitment to one cause - particularly obviously this illegal wildlife trade at the moment is such a big issue".

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"The idea was that United for Wildlife can progress and we can really start the ball rolling and the momentum and really try and change and tackle this issue," he said.

William went on: "Education is the most important thing as we saw with the shark fin soup campaign - the more education, the more obviously we can put out there and show people and educate them on what they're buying and what they're seeing and really try and change their attitudes.

"I think we've got a real chance of changing the way things are going."

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Live: Kate Middleton and Prince William attend premiere of Mandela film in London

5 Dec 2013 23:34The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are guests of honour at the Leicester Square UK premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, this year's Royal Film Performance

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Prince Philip visits GCHQ's secret London listening post

Prince Philip has visited the London office of Government Communication Headquarters  Tim Walker. Edited by Richard Eden

7:30AM GMT 30 Nov 2013

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Hyde Park area of Leeds where police officer shot was also centre of London Bombings investigations

West Yorkshire Police have launched a manhunt after a police woman was shot in Hyde Park earlier By Katie Grant

10:40AM GMT 04 Dec 2013

The Hyde Park area of north west Leeds where a policewoman has been shot was also at the centre of investigations into the July 7 bombings.

In July 2005 police raided 18 Alexandra Grove in Hyde Park which the London bombers had rented in order to build bombs.

Hundreds of local residents were evacuated but police said they found no explosives at the property.

The area has high unemployment and used to have a high crime rate, however police have reported a large drop in crime in more recent years.

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In 1997 the area's Chestnut Avenue was dubbed 'the most burgled street in Britain'.

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West Yorkshire Police have launched a manhunt for James Leslie after a police woman was shot on Cardigan Road earlier.

Hyde Park is a multi-cultural area which is popular with students and is situated between the University of Leeds and the student area of Headlingley.

It has sizable black and South Asian communities and is home to the largest mosque in Leeds and a variety of Asian shops and supermarkets.

Hyde Park has a bohemian feel and is well known for the iconic Hyde Park Picture House which shows both art house and mainstream films.

The park itself is one of the largest parks in central Leeds and is popular with residents and students during the summer.

While the Brudenell Social Club is a well-known venue for local and underground music.

 CrimeNews »UK News »Katie Grant »

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London 'Slavery' Case: New Homes Investigated

The couple accused of holding three women as slaves for more than 30 years are linked to 13 addresses across the capital. 8:07am UK, Monday 25 November 2013

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London slaves held by 'invisible handcuffs' say police

By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter

7:15PM GMT 22 Nov 2013

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Three women kept as slaves for more than 30 years were held by “invisible handcuffs” because of the fear instilled in them by their captors, police said yesterday.

Detectives said the victims had been “brainwashed” and had described a “complicated and disturbing picture of emotional control over many years” which might take months to understand fully.

Meanwhile the head of the charity which secured the women’s release said they had been kept in “horrific” conditions and had thanked her for “saving their lives”.

A man and a woman, both aged 67 and believed to be Asian, were arrested on Thursday in Lambeth, south London, over the slavery claims and immigration offences. They were later released on bail.

Giving an update on the investigation, Commander Steve Rodhouse, of Scotland Yard’s Specialist Crime and Operations section, said: “We are unpicking a story that spans at least 30 years of these women's lives, and all of this requires police activity to turn that into evidence.

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“This case is sadly what we probably all understand as forced labour and domestic servitude, slavery in simple terms.”

He said the case was “unique”, adding: “It is not as brutally obvious as women being physically restrained inside an address and not allowed to leave.

“What

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London slavery: In a world of horror, make-up was first request to restore women's humanity

As reports reveal that make-up was the first request for one of the escaped women, Olivia Goldhill says lipstick, mascara and blusher are more than just frippery, and point to very basic signs of self-worth

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London 'slaves' suspects were arrested in the 1970s as police reveal women were 'beaten'

22 Nov 2013 13:22The man and woman, both 67, have been bailed as Scotland Yard investigate the discovery of three women held captive in a house in Lambeth for more than 30 years

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Latest: London 'slave' suspects arrested in 1970s as police reveal women were 'beaten'

22 Nov 2013 14:19All the news, pictures and video after police free three women who were held against their will in a south London home for decades

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Tessa Jowell Hints At London Mayor Contest

After revealing she is to step down as an MP, Dame Tessa says when the time comes she will think hard about being a candidate. 9:40am UK, Friday 22 November 2013

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Beckham Clothes On Sale At London Charity Shop

The celebrity couple urges others to help support victims of Typhoon Haiyan which devastated parts of the Philippines. 1:58pm UK, Friday 22 November 2013

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Women kept as slaves in London are 'traumatised'

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland says he has "never seen anything of this magnitude before" as police rescue three women alleged to have been held against their will in a south London house 4:51PM GMT 21 Nov 2013

For the latest updates on this story follow our live blog

Three "traumatised women" kept as slaves have been freed after spending three decades imprisoned against their will in a city home, police said.

A 30-year-old British woman, a 57-year-old Irishwoman and a 69-year-old Malaysian woman are believed to have walked to their freedom from a property in south London after media coverage on forced marriages gave them the courage to contact a support charity.

Two people in their 60s have been arrested at the home this morning as part of the investigation into slavery and domestic servitude, Scotland Yard confirmed.

It followed a call to police last month, from a charity on behalf of one of the alleged captives, who said she had been held captive for more than 30 years.

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Below is a clip of the television documentary on forced marriages relating to the work of Freedom Charity which police said was the catalyst that prompted one of the victims to call for help and led to their rescue.

Source: ITN/PA

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Charity head: London slave women rescue 'miraculous'

Aneeta Prem says that when Freedom Charity was contacted for help by one of the victims she realised was "a one-chance call to make a difference". 6:41PM GMT 21 Nov 2013

Three "traumatised women" were kept as slaves have been freed after spending three decades imprisoned against their will in a city home, police said.

A 30-year-old British woman, a 57-year-old Irishwoman and a 69-year-old Malaysian woman are believed to have walked to their freedom from a property in south London after media coverage on forced marriages gave them the courage to contact a support charity.

Two people in their 60s have been arrested at the home this morning as part of the investigation into slavery and domestic servitude, Scotland Yard said.

It followed a call to police last month, from a charity on behalf of one of the alleged captives, who said she had been held captive for more than 30 years.

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Freedom Charity, which aims to advise and support victims of forced marriages or honour-based violence, got in touch after they received a call following television coverage on forced marriages.

Aneeta Prem, Freedom Charity founder, said the women were very distressed when they were rescued but also very relieved to be free.

She said "When they contacted the charity it was very clear it was a once chance call to make a difference. They basically told us they were being held and they needed support to come out of a very difficult situation."

She added that the charity felt "very humbled" that they were able to assist in "something so miraculous".

Source: ITN and PA

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Three women 'held as slaves' in south London

Three "highly traumatised" women are alleged to have been held against their will for 30 years - with one born in captivity By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent

9:28AM GMT 22 Nov 2013

Follow

• South London slave investigation: live coverage
• The daring operation to free the slaves of Lambeth
• Desperate call for help after TV charity appeal
• Video: Charity head says London slave women rescue 'miraculous'

A woman who was born into captivity and allowed no contact with the outside world is one of three 'slaves’ who have been rescued after being kept against their will in a south London house for 30 years, the police revealed on Thursday.

A man and a woman, both aged 67, were arrested after officers from Scotland Yard were alerted to the plight of the three women last month.

The pair, who have not been named by police, were later “bailed until a date in January pending further enquiries”, Scotland Yard said in a statement in the early hours of Friday morning.

Detectives from the human trafficking unit said it was the worst case of modern slavery they had ever come across in Britain.

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The youngest of the alleged victims, who is now 30, is thought to have spent her entire life in servitude and is thought to have been born in captivity.

The woman, who police said had no normal contact with the outside world, was rescued alongside a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 69-year-old from Malaysia. Their alleged captors are not British, the police confirmed, but provided no further details about their nationality.

The three 'slaves’ were never allowed outside unaccompanied and spent the vast majority of their lives confined to the property in Lambeth, south London, described by police as an “ordinary house in an ordinary street”.

The women’s ordeal finally came to an end last month when the 57-year-old contacted a charity after watching a television programme about domestic slavery.

She told charity workers that she had been held against her will in a house in Lambeth, south London for more than 30 years.

Since their release the three women have thanked the founder of the charity which helped rescue them for "saving their lives".

Police were alerted and after using specially trained officers to interview the women over the telephone, two women escaped and met the authorities at an agreed location nearby on October 25. The third - the Malaysian woman - was later rescued from the house.

On Thursday after weeks of careful investigation police moved in and arrested two people, who were described as the “heads of the family”, suggesting a criminal network would be involved. The reason for the near month delay between rescuing the women and making the arrests was unclear.

The pair were questioned at a south London police station on Thursday, but it is not clear whether there will be further arrests in connection with the case.

Police are searching other possible linked addresses for bodies amid fears it is part of a wider abduction ring and that others may have been held but died in captivity, reports suggested.

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland of the Met’s human trafficking unit said: “We’ve established that all three women were held in this situation for at least 30 years.

“Their lives were greatly controlled and for much of it they would be kept in the premises.”

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland addresses the media outside New Scotland Yard

Det Insp Hyland said they were still working to establish if the 30-year-old woman had been born in the house but he said the indications were that she had spent her entire life there.

Asked if she had ever attended school he said: “The 30-year-old had no contact with the outside world that one would see as normal.”

Det Insp Hyland went on: “The human trafficking unit of the Metropolitan Police deals with many cases of servitude and forced labour. We’ve seen some cases where people have been held for up to 10 years but we’ve never seen anything of this magnitude before."

He added: “It’s part of our investigation - who had any freedom, what sort of freedom, under what conditions that freedom was allowed.”

Police are investigating the possibility that the victims may have been related in some way, but given their different nationalities that seems unlikely.

Police have also said there have been no allegations made of sexual abuse made by the victims.

Freedom, a charity which offers advice and support to victims of forced marriages, contacted police after one of the women got in touch last month.

Aneeta Prem, the founder of the charity, said the alleged victims were extremely vulnerable, but had been able to walk out of the house on their own where they were met by police.

She added: “I think it’s a real rarity, I certainly haven’t heard of anything like this before. I’ve heard of stories abroad but not in the centre of London.”

Talking on ITV's Daybreak this morning she added: "They're quite traumatised ... but they're very relieved to be out.

"When I met them, it was a very humbling experience. They all threw their arms around me, and apart from crying enormously, they thanked the charity for the work Freedom had done in saving their lives."

She said: "If you have spent your entire life in captivity and know nothing different, then even the smallest freedoms, the smallest things, you have no knowledge of.

"It's going to be a difficult process. Bear in mind these ladies have left with absolutely nothing at all. The charity is going to have to try and help and support them through this difficulty journey."

The women told her that they felt that they could trust her as they had seen her on TV throughout the summer as she campaigned against forced marraiges and young girls going missing.

After a "traumatic and very difficult" first call to Freedom staff, Ms Prem arranged a single point of contact for the women and began "secret negotiations" to bring them out.

She said: "We did it in a very slow way to gain their trust, because after 30 years of people being held in very difficult circumstances, one of the things we didn't want to do was to add any more trauma."

The case has led to comparisons with that of Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who kept his daughter confined to the cellar of his home for 24 years.

In May this year three women were freed from a house in Cleveland, Ohio after being kidnapped and held against their will for more than a decade.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, expressed her shock at the case.

A spokesman said: “The home secretary is shocked by this appalling case and while the police need to get to the bottom of exactly what happened here, the home secretary has made clear her determination to tackle the scourge of modern slavery.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said: “If the allegations are true that someone’s been kept against their will or been abused for 30 years that’s a horrendous thing and we’re all shocked by that.”

Frank Field MP, chairman of the modern slavery bill evidence review and vice-chairman of the human trafficking foundation, described the victims as “brave”.

He said: “People need to understand that these aren’t one-off cases - modern slavery is alive and well in Britain, and needs to be stopped.

“We need police forces to be working much more closely with local non-government organisations, such as Freedom Charity, to help raise awareness and spot the signs of this evil, which is taking place right under our noses. It was incredibly brave for one of the victims to call for help - much more needs to be done to help victims come forward.”

Earlier this year the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) - a joint operation by the Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office - revealed it helped in 1,485 cases of possible forced marriage in 2012, involving 60 countries across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

The statistics for last year show that of the 744 cases where the age was known, more than 600 involved people under the age of 26.

 CrimeNews »UK News »Law and Order »Mobile »Martin Evans »

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South London slave investigation: latest updates

Investigations continue following the rescue of 69-year-old Malaysian woman, 57-year-old Irish woman and 30-year-old British woman by Met Police after being held captive for 30 years

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London Cyclist Deaths: Sixth In 13 Days

Police hold a road safety operation in the capital as the latest death takes the total number for 2013 so far to 14. 8:58pm UK, Monday 18 November 2013

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Queen and Duchess of Cornwall visit London riding centre

The Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall visit the Ebony Horse Club Community Riding Centre in Brixton, London, which offers horse riding for disadvantaged young people 1:58PM GMT 29 Oct 2013

The Queen indulged her passion for all things equestrian when she met young riders from an inner city club.

The Duchess of Cornwall invited the Queen to the centre in Brixton, south London, that she has supported for a number of years. The visit was a rare joint event for the Queen and Camilla, who both share a love of horses.

Breeding thoroughbreds for racing is a passion for the Queen, who has seen her horses win classic races, while the Duchess is a keen rider.

Source: ITN / PA

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