 "caravan slave")
The man was forced to live in filthy conditions in a caravan on a travellers’ site in Lincolnshire. (Photo: X@neerpiyu)
A UK man kept as a “slave” for nearly 26 years by a millionaire traveller family has been awarded £352,000 (Rs 3.75 crore approx) as compensation payment after his family sued the government for denying him “adequate compensation”. Earlier, the victim was awarded just £12,428 (Rs 13.2 lakh).
The man, only known as Victim A, was beaten, offered scraps of leftover food and forced to live in filthy conditions in a caravan on a travellers’ site in Lincolnshire by the accused Rooney family. The Rooneys amassed a fortune from their driveway business.
The victim’s sister has said that the compensation payment would fund round-the-clock care for her “lovely brother”. She said she “only wishes the money could fix him, but it won’t”. Wishing to remain anonymous, she told BBC, “What we got back was not the man that left us.”
‘Regime of terror’
The Rooney family is alleged to have been running a “regime of terror” for over 20 years, exploiting vulnerable homeless men, according to media reports . They frequently fed the victims with scraps and treated them in contempt.
Members of the Rooney family would go looking for victims on the streets, hostels and shelters, offering work for food and accommodation. However, labourers were given little or no access to basics such as heating, water, and toilets. Some were forced to squat in woods behind their living areas.
Besides Victim A, 15 other men who shared that fate ended up dying before justice could be served. One of the labourers ended up dying without the knowledge of his family, who later discovered they missed his funeral.
The accused family members enjoyed holidays to Barbados, cosmetic surgery and even shelled out on a Manchester United soccer school – earned off the backs of their workers. After court hearings, 11 members of the family were convicted in the biggest modern slavery case in British legal history.
First Published: Aug 07 2024 | 12:52 PM IST
