A nurse living in London has been jailed for trafficking African woman to Europe to work as prostitutes using “voodoo rituals”.

Josephine Iyamu, 51, known as Madame Sandra has become the first British national to be prosecuted for Modern Slavery Act offences after trafficking victims outside the UK, according to the BBC .

The court was told the five women were forced to eat chicken hearts, drink blood containing worms, and have powder rubbed into cuts as part of “juju” ceremonies.

Josephine Iyamu, 51, known as Known as Madame Sandra has become the first British national to be prosecuted for Modern Slavery Act offences after trafficking victims outside the UK. (Supplied/National Crime Agency)

One victim told the BBC in a video she was trafficked to Germany at the age of 21 and had to sleep with as many as 15 men a day.

She was then told she needed to earn thousands to pay her way out.

The people were sent to Germany via the Mediterranean, on a dangerous journey on inflatable boats.

Iyamu, born in Liberia, was allowed to stay in the UK because of her nursing qualification.

Josephine Iyamu, 51, known as Known as Madame Sandra has become the first British national to be prosecuted for Modern Slavery Act offences after trafficking victims outside the UK. (Supplied/National Crime Agency)

The court was told she only earned $25,000 a year as a nurse, but had a lavish house back in Nigeria and spent thousands on air travel.

She had also run for political office in Nigeria.

Iyamu was also convicted of perverting the course of justice while on remand, by arranging for relatives of her victims in Nigeria to be arrested.

Judge Richard Bond, said she saw the victims “not as living, breathing human beings but as commodities to earn you large sums of money”.