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Members of the Rooney family employed a total of 18 people - including homeless people and some with learning difficulties - on little or no wages and forced them to live in horrific conditions. The family, who are based on Traveller sites in Lincolnshire, subjected their victims to beatings and threats, Nottingham crown court heard. One of the victims is believed to have been kept by the Rooney family for a shocking 26 years. The victims, who were aged between 18 and 63, were kept in caravans on traveller sites without access to toilet facilities or running water and were forced to work long hours for the family, often doing manual works including tarmacking driveways and block paving. REVEALED: Inside the hell hole of a modern day traveller slavery ring

LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE FORCE Eleven members of the Rooney family have been convicted of a series of modern slavery crimes

Shocking pictures show conditions victims were forced to live in Fri, August 11, 2017 Lincolnshire gang forced at least 18 victims to work for little or no pay and live in squalor for up to 26 years Play slideshow Lincolnshire Police 1 of 8 Police images reveal the squalid conditions the victims were forced to live in

They were also forced to do chores around the traveller site, and those who were made to look after pets lived next to the dog kennels and were often given the family's leftovers as food. Lincolnshire Police described Operation Pottery as one of "the largest and most complex" in its history. The investigation alone was huge, with 1,830 statements taken from 939 people and more than 2,000 lines of enquiry pursued. The criminal gang also conned vulnerable residents out of three houses to a total value of £528,000. Authorities seized £100,000 worth of stolen property, including four caravans, three jackhammers, seventy packs of bricks, Lincoln's cemetery gates - and even a labrador. Chief Superintendent Nikki Mayo, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “This has been our force’s largest and most complex investigation into modern slavery and we are delighted to get the right outcome for victims.

LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE Police images reveal the squalid conditions the victims were forced to live in

Victims were often only provided food when they worked and at times it was restricted to the family’s leftovers Chief Superintendent Nikki Mayo

“The focus of this case has always been the victims, ensuring that they get the help and support they need to live their lives free from the treatment they received at the hands of the defendants. “The greatest positive of this case is that so many of the victims have now got their lives back, they’ve got a real second chance at some peace and happiness and to grow and flourish in their communities – it’s very much deserved. “Through intelligence from partner agencies and the public and our officers visiting the traveller sites we knew these men were being kept in very poor conditions and made to work for little money. The extent of these conditions soon became apparent – the victims were ‘accommodated’ in caravans without running water or access to toilet facilities, and in some cases the electricity to them was dangerously obtained from a nearby pylon. "The men were incredibly vulnerable. Some had learning disabilities or mental health issues while others were completely dependent on alcohol or drugs. Some had no idea what was happening when we arrived at the site or when they were transported into the care of support services and we worked hard to gain their trust.

LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE One of the stolen caravans where victims were forced to live

“Through intelligence from partner agencies and the public and our officers visiting the traveller sites we knew these men were being kept in very poor conditions and made to work for little money. The extent of these conditions soon became apparent – the victims were ‘accommodated’ in caravans without running water or access to toilet facilities, and in some cases the electricity to them was dangerously obtained from a nearby pylon. "The men were incredibly vulnerable. Some had learning disabilities or mental health issues while others were completely dependent on alcohol or drugs. Some had no idea what was happening when we arrived at the site or when they were transported into the care of support services and we worked hard to gain their trust. “The three years that followed have been gruelling and emotional times for the victims and my investigation team. The victims, whose identities will remain anonymous, were all adults aged between 18 and 63. They had been located and picked up by the defendants from all over the country and specifically targeted because they were vulnerable and homeless." She continued: “They were promised that they would be looked after, sheltered and fed in return for work and were then trafficked into the site. In fact they were being completely exploited – working long hours tarmacking driveways and block paving for the family. "These businesses operated illicitly by using stolen materials and tools and advertised on hoardings where they didn’t have permission to do so. “The ‘employees’ were not paid very much if at all. When they weren’t working for the company the men had to collect scrap, sweep, tidy up or look after pets around the sites. This exploitation was illegally funding a lavish lifestyle for the defendants.

LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE While the victims lived in sqalud conditions, the Rooney family enjoyed a life of luxury

"While their ‘labourers’ were suffering, this family were taking luxurious holidays to Barbados, Australia, Egypt and Mexico, the purchase of high performance BMWs, spa days and even cosmetic surgery. “Their living quarters were truly shocking and at times the men resided in site stables next to the dog kennels. The promise of food was also fabricated. Victims were often only provided food when they worked and at times it was restricted to the family’s leftovers. Often their only ‘payment’ was a packet of tobacco and a limited amount of alcohol which didn’t help those with addictions and was another way in which the defendants exerted control over them. “They were not given training for the manual labour and although not physically trapped, they were financially, emotionally and physically abused making any escape seem impossible. Victims who did pluck up the courage were often searched for by the family and if located, returned and put back to work. "The men were also subjected to threats of violence and intimidation by the defendants and some were assaulted. If they needed the toilet they often had no alternative but to use the nearby woods and fields. If they needed to go to see a doctor, visits were frequently delayed and advice often totally disregarded, and over time the victims became completely institutionalised and isolated from society. Some were financially trapped making any escape seem impossible, as victims bank accounts were used to pay for gym membership, materials used by the business and even a soccer school course at Manchester United."

LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE One victims is believed to have been kept by the Rooney family for 26 years