Man endured forced labour in Oxford for five years

Three people have been convicted of making a "vulnerable" man carry out forced labour for up to five years.

Nicholas Iliff was forced to clean up dog mess and tie the shoelaces of his captors in Oxford.

Christopher Joyce, 81, and daughters Mary Joyce, 60, and Helen Collins, 45, all of Redbridge Hollow, Old Abingdon Road, were convicted.

Previously they were convicted of a conspiracy to defraud Mr Iliff of benefits, Oxford Crown Court heard.

The defendants were arrested as part of Thames Valley Police's Operation Rague, which related to suspected human exploitation and slavery.

Police said between April 2010 and February 2015 the 52-year-old Mr Iliff lived in a brick shed that was "unfit for human habitation", on the travellers' site.

A spokesperson said he was made to do heavy manual labour, working for more than 12 hours at a time, for which he was paid £5 a day.

Meanwhile, the defendants were collecting his benefits, a total of £139,000 from 2002 to 2015.

Police said Mr Iliff sustained injuries from the work, including dislocating his shoulder five times, and would be beaten if the defendants were unhappy with his work.

When he tried to leave he was threatened or brought back to the site forcibly, the spokesperson added.

Det Insp Mark Glover said: "He was a vulnerable man who had no family or friends that he felt he could turn to, and he felt he had nowhere else to go.

"He was used by the Joyces and Collins for hard manual labour and demeaning tasks such as cleaning up dog mess and tying their shoes.

"I hope that this conviction will demonstrate that treating another person like this will not be tolerated."

Timothy Joyce, 45, who also lived on the site, was jailed last year after he admitted affray, fraud and making a person carry out forced labour.