Three women slaves: two suspected of slavery were previously arrested in 1970s

Police say they are seeking to understand the "invisible handcuffs" that kept three women bound in slavery and domestic servitude for three decades in a house in Lambeth By Martin Evans, Crime Correspondent

6:58PM GMT 22 Nov 2013

Follow

Two people suspected of enslaving three women for more than 30-years have been on the radar of the authorities since the 1970s, it was revealed on Friday.

The man and woman, who are understood to be illegal immigrants, were first arrested by the Metropolitan Police almost 40-years ago.

They were detained on Thursday morning as part of an investigation into slavery but were bailed to a date in January after several hours of questioning.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister, David Cameron, said he regarded the case as “utterly appalling”.

Related Articles

The radical ideological background of 'slave women' suspects

24 Nov 2013

South London slave investigation: latest updates

22 Nov 2013

Alleged slavery victims 'relieved' to be free

22 Nov 2013

Three women 'held as slaves' in south London home

22 Nov 2013

Cases of modern slavery will increase, minister warns

22 Nov 2013

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland addresses the media outside New Scotland Yard

Police revealed further details on Friday of the shocking conditions in which their three alleged victims were kept.

The women, a 69-year-old from Malaysia, a 57-year-old from Ireland and 30-year-old Briton, were allegedly subjected to decades of physical abuse and beatings after being brainwashed by their captors.

Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland of the Metropolitan Police’s human trafficking unit said: “Whilst we do not believe that they have been subjected to sexual abuse, we know that there has been physical abuse, described as beatings - however there is nothing to suggest that the suspects were violent towards others outside of the address.”

The youngest of the women has spent her entire life in the house, but is understood to have had some form of basic education.

The three women were only allowed to leave their house under carefully controlled circumstances and were said to be terrified of their captors.

But detectives explained that far from living in isolation, the group were probably known to the authorities including social services.

It has also been reported that one of the women was denied medical attention after suffering a stroke while inside the house.

Commander Steve Rodhouse from the Metropolitan Police said: “We believe at this stage to the outside world this may have appeared to be a 'normal' family.

“This does mean that over the course of many decades the people at the heart of this investigation and their victims will probably have come into contact with public services, including our own, that is something we must examine fully, and it is too early to provide details.”

He added: “What I can say with some certainty is that the two suspects in the case were arrested by the Metropolitan Police in the 1970s , some considerable time ago.”

A spokesman for Lambeth Council refused to discuss whether social services had any contact with the group.

Police were tipped off about the case by the Freedom charity when the 57-year-old women plucked up the courage to report her ordeal after watching a news report about modern slavery.

Specially trained charity workers spent several days winning her trust before she and the younger woman escaped on October 25 to a pre-arranged location where they were met by waiting police officers.

Detectives then returned to the house and removed the eldest woman to safety.

Almost a month went by before the two alleged captors were arrested by officers from the Met’s Human Trafficking Unit.

On Friday officers who have spent years investigating the growing scandal of slavery and domestic servitude admitted that this case was completely “unique” in their experience.

Mr Rodhouse said what his officers had uncovered was a “complicated and disturbing picture of emotional control over many years”.

He said to many in the outside world the group may have appeared to be an ordinary family in an ordinary house which might explain why it went under the radar for so long.

Describing the circumstances in which the three alleged victims were held, Mr Rodhouse said: “It is not as brutally obvious as women being physically restrained inside an address and not being allowed to leave.”

DI Hyland said 37 officers were working on the case and had removed 55 bags of evidence and 12,500 exhibits from the “ordinary” looking house.

Police also confirmed that they had been in contact with officials in Malaysia and Ireland.

DI Hyland 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.”

The two people arrested are understood to be of Asian origin and have also been arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

 CrimeNews »UK News »Martin Evans »

In politics

View the Original article

Husband and wife found dead in suspected murder-suicide

The street in Wandsworth, south-west London, where the couple lived Photo: GOOGLE STREETVIEW By Hayley Dixon, and agencies

1:59PM GMT 21 Nov 2013

A 61-year-old man is accused of killing his 73-year-old wife after she had recently returned home from hospital having suffered a stroke.

After murdering Carol French in the bedroom of the couple's home, Douglas Harry Morton, 61, took his own life in the bathroom.

Murder Squad detectives are treating the deaths as a suspected murder suicide.

The bodies of a couple were found in their pretty, modern terrace home just before 9am yesterday after police were alerted over concerns about their welfare.

Inside the home in Stormont Road near Clapham Common in south west London officers found the lifeless body of Ms French in a first-floor bedroom and the body of Mr Morton in a first-floor bathroom.

Related Articles

BBC Panorama clip: former soldiers admit killing unarmed civilians

21 Nov 2013

Wife of stabbed Cornish GP charged with murder

21 Nov 2013

Chief Constable: police manipulate crime figures because of pressure from senior figures

20 Nov 2013

Neighbours in the leafy street said they were "shocked" at the death of the "lovely couple".

A neighbour, who declined to be named, said: "She had a stroke, she had been in hospital for it and had got out and been in rehab.

"They are both retired, they seemed like a nice, normal couple. He was nice, he used to help his neighbours out and dropped a newspaper around to his next door neighbour's house.

"He wasn't in bad health, he seemed fine. Obviously we are all really shocked, it is just so sad. We hadn't noticed them rowing."

Another neighbour who declined to be named, said: "They were a lovely couple. I didn't notice any arguments or anything, they seemed very nice.

"I think they were retired, I haven't noticed any family go and visit them, I don't think they had any family.

"I know she had recently got out of hospital. It is such a shock, very sad. They seemed lovely."

A man who lives next door added: "It is a terrible shock, she had been in hospital. They were lovely, I never expected this would happen. I'm just in shock."

Another neighbour who lives across the road, said: "It is absolutely awful, very sad. I didn't really know them, but they moved here a few years ago.

"I just noticed that they laid out a lovely lawn when they moved here. I looked out of the window and saw police there."

Uniformed police officers remain at the couple's home today.

Scotland Yard earlier confirmed a murder investigation has been launched and post-mortem examinations are due to take place soon.

It said at this stage, the death of the woman is being treated as suspicious, while the death of the man is being treated as non-suspicious.

No-one else is being sought in connection with the incident.

 CrimeNews »UK News »

In politics

View the Original article

Husband suspected of killing wife after stroke

By Nick Collins

6:00AM GMT 22 Nov 2013

Follow

A 61-year-old man is suspected of killing his wife and committing suicide shortly after she was released from hospital following a major stroke.

Douglas Morton, known as Harry, is believed to have murdered his wife Carol French, 73, in the bedroom of their home in Wandsworth, south west London, before taking his own life in the bathroom.

Mrs French had recently returned home from hospital after suffering a stroke earlier this year but family friends said her rehabilitation had been progressing well.

The couple had spent the last few years travelling the world in a motor home and were said to be confident enough in her recovery to make plans for a tour of Europe next summer.

Mr Morton, the former owner of a chain of high-end women’s fashion shops, and Mrs French, who spent many years editing women’s magazines, were described as “soul mates” who were “very happy together”.

Related Articles

Why mum and dad killed themselves

15 Nov 2009

Suicide couple turned away friends in final hours

03 Jun 2009

Officers found their bodies at 9am on Wednesday morning after concerns were raised about their welfare.

Scotland Yard said a murder investigation had been launched after a man and a woman’s bodies were found but no one is being sought in connection with the incident.

It said the death of the woman is being treated as suspicious, and the death of the man as non-suspicious.

Fiona Lindop, a friend of Mr Morton’s family from Derby, said the couple had been together for almost 40 years. They had no children but Mr Morton has a brother, Peter, in New Zealand.

“They were very happy and he was a very bubbly, bouncy character. Carol wasn’t as bouncy, but they were well-matched,” she said. “They were very happy together, absolute soul mates.

“In their retirement they went and saw a lot of the world. I think they drove right down South America and they certainly spent many years travelling abroad.”

Paul Dudley, a friend who sold the couple the Winnebago motor homes they drove through Europe, Russia, the US, South America, Australia and New Zealand, said he found the situation “very difficult to believe”.

He said Mrs French had recovered most of her speech following her stroke and, having initially been told she could be wheelchair-bound, was progressing towards walking again.

“It was only very recently that Carol was taken into hospital with quite a serious stroke but apart from that they were always together,” he said.

“Harry was talking about buying another motor home for next season’s touring, probably into Europe, and he was looking forward to it. Certainly Carol was getting much better

View the Original article

Could exhumed body of baby 'murdered' 32 years ago lead to fresh conviction for Angel Of Death nurse suspected of 46 deaths yet facing release from prison under Texan law?

View the Original article