Three sentenced for human trafficking and rape

Three members of an organised crime group who trafficked women from eastern Europe to exploit as sex workers in Swindon and other South West communities and beyond have been sentenced today.

The hearing followed an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU), supported by Gloucestershire Constabulary and Wiltshire Police.

The group’s ringleader, Maciej Kozlowski, was also convicted of raping a woman who the group later exploited at their network of brothels.

Investigators gathered evidence showing Kozlowski, who went under various aliases, led the trafficking operation with Piotr Lebek, 57, formerly of Faulkner Street in Gloucester, as his main assistant. 

Lebek would collect victims from airports, move them between brothels and pick up cash they had been paid – reporting back to Kozlowski on their takings. In one text to Kozlowski, Lebek said he was “off to the whore place”.

Agata Jankowska, 37, from Stroud Road in Gloucester, booked victims’ flights into the UK and controlled some of the phones used to book their appointments. 

A second woman, Lidia Grzybowska, 45, from Musselburgh in Scotland, controlled other phones used to make bookings. Both women would pretend to be the sex workers themselves, leaving the victims with no control over what they were being told to do or when.

Kozlowski, Lebek and Jankowska pleaded guilty to trafficking at least 20 women over two years, mainly from Poland, to work in brothels at flats in Swindon, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Kettering, Coventry, Nottingham, Worcester and South Wales. One woman’s profile had been active in seven different towns.

Kozlowski was sentenced to a total of 14 years - nine years for trafficking and causing prostitution and five years for rape to run consecutively. 

Lebek was sentenced to seven years and six months for trafficking and causing prostitution. 

Jankowska was given three years and four months for trafficking and causing prostitution. All three will be on the Sexual Offenders Register for five years. Grzybowska is to be sentenced at a later date.

Investigators gathered extensive evidence against the organised crime group to help secure their guilty pleas.

This included records of the group’s movements between airports and brothels; thousands of messages arranging appointments; photos taken for online adverts; messages reporting cash collected from victims; and even evidence of shopping trips for bedding, wet wipes, condoms and mobile phone top-ups.

Det Supt Charlotte Tucker, who led the SWROCU investigation, said: “This group was making huge amounts of money by trafficking women into and around the country to exploit like commodities, profiting from the risks these vulnerable victims took and the ‘work’ they endured.

“They showed total contempt for the women they exploited, with Kozlowski even raping one victim in a bid to recruit her to work for his group. She, and other victims, have described the long-term harm they have suffered.

“I hope the sentences handed down bring her and the other women some closure, give other victims confidence that we will do all we can to investigate and bring such offenders to justice, and show the public that we all must do more to give such victims a voice. 

"These women were being put to work in flats and houses in our communities – please learn to spot the signs and report any suspicions.”

Andrew Pritchard, Specialist Prosecutor of the CPS South West Complex Case Unit, said: “Maceij Kozlowski, Poitr Lebek, Agata Jankowska and Lidia Grzybowska were members of a well organised and motivated group who chose to make money off what they knew was the most relentless efforts of others – women made vulnerable by their work in the sex trade. 

"They were moved around the country to different brothels simply to maximise their profitability. They were treated as a commodity to be exploited. It was proved at trial that on one occasion, Maceij Kozlowski, the leader of the group, was prepared to rape one of the women he had targeted as someone he could then coerce into a life of sex work. 

"The seriousness of their offending is reflected in the sentences passed today.”

Detective Inspector Rory Ainslie, from Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, added: “The conviction of this organised crime group is down to strong joined up working by multiple agencies across the criminal justice system and law enforcement.

"Through this partnership approach we are transforming the way that the CPS and police handle and investigate rape and sexual assault cases, and are working together to ensure that victims are supported throughout the prosecution process.

“I would like to commend the victims in this case for coming forward and supporting the prosecution. Thanks to the strong, trusting relationship they built with officers, they felt able to describe in very honest detail the impact that this horrific offence has had on them and their families. 

"Their courage and resilience, together with the dedication of the investigation team, has ensured that we have achieved a positive outcome.”

Lauren Saunders, Head of Frontline Services at Unseen, a charity working towards a world without slavery, said: "It's good news that sentencing for this case has taken place. 

"So many people who are exploited in this way don’t get the justice they deserve because of fear of not being believed and the incorrect assumption that these types of crimes are rare.

"Being sexually exploited and having independence taken away are deeply traumatising and can have leave long lasting physical and mental scars. We will continue to support the recovery of people who have experienced exploitation and advocate for justice until modern slavery is fully eradicated."  

People can earn to spot the signs of modern slavery and how to report it through the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline.

Reports can also be made to the police online or by calling 101. People can give information anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers online or by calling 0800 555 111.