Romanians jailed in landmark child trafficking case

Four Romanian nationals living in Slough have been jailed today in a landmark child trafficking case involving a 13 year-old girl. 

The three men and one woman are the first people to be successfully convicted for trafficking a child into the UK under the Immigration Act 2004.

At Reading Crown Court today, a 43-year-old was sentenced to four years in jail for facilitating the arrival in the UK of the 13-year-old girl, facilitating her travel within the UK, perverting the course of justice and causing child cruelty.

A 34-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman, a married couple, were each sentenced to a total of four years after they too were found guilty of causing child cruelty and facilitating the young girl’s travel within the UK. 

The pair were also found guilty of defrauding Slough Borough Council of several tens of thousands of pounds in benefits.

The fourth defendant, a 22-year-old father of two young children, was found guilty of facilitating the girl’s arrival and travel into the UK, alongside the three others. 

He was jailed for a total of 18 months.