Police: Slave case an issue of 'psychological control'

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland, of the Metropolitan Police, says the investigation into allegations of slavery at a house in London involves allegations of "physical, psychological and mental abuse over a period of time" 3:13PM GMT 22 Nov 2013

Police announced yesterday that three "traumatised women" kept as slaves were freed after spending three decades imprisoned against their will in a city home.

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland said the whole of the human trafficking unit - 37 officers - are now working on this investigation.

Specially-trained officers are working with the women to try to understand their lives over the last 30 years or more, he said.

DI Hyland said the women are in the care of a specialist non-governmental organisation.

"Whilst we do not believe that they have been subjected to sexual abuse, we know that there has been physical abuse, described as beatings.

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"However there is nothing to suggest that the suspects were violent to others outside of the address," he said.

DI Hyland said the police search of the address in south London took 12 hours, and said they seized 55 bags of evidence amounting to in excess of 2,500 exhibits.

Source: ITN and PA

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Police: 'Slave' Case Victim Was Beaten

Aneeta Prem’s Freedom Charity was contacted by one of the three women who were allegedly held as slaves for 30 years. She says now more women are contacting the charity.

Video: More Calls To Charity Over Slavery

Enlarge Tweet Email Police say at least one of the three women allegedly held in a London home as slaves for 30 years was beaten while in captivity.

Officers arrested two people after three women aged between 30 and 69 were rescued from a house in Lambeth, south London, following a probe sparked by a Sky News report.

And detectives say the pair, a man and a woman both aged 67, are also being questioned on immigration charges. They said they were not looking for any more suspects or victims.

Scotland Yard also said the two accused were previously arrested in the 1970s, but did not reveal the nature of those arrests.

Police, who have bailed the pair until January pending further enquiries, said they expected the investigation to take a "considerable" amount of time.

The three alleged victims are a 69-year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-year-old Briton - who police say may have been held captive for her entire life.

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