Brothers jailed for Sports Direct Modern Slavery trafficking
Two brothers who trafficked men from Poland to work in Sport Direct’s Shirebrook warehouse have been jailed for six years under the Modern Slavery Act.
The men, Erwin Markowski and his brother Krystian employed a “spotter” in Poland to lure 18 vulnerable men to the UK to work at Spors Direct. The pair opened bank accounts for the men when they started working at Shirebrook and withdrew most of their income, Nottingham Crown Court heard.
The Polish workers had their passports taken from them and were left with about £90 from a weekly wage that should have been £265, the court heard. The Markowskis, who made £35,000 from the scheme, were caught after one of the victims tipped off police.
A spokesperson for Sports Direct said: “We welcome the conviction of these two individuals, who were brought to justice after being reported to police by the Transline agency and Sports Direct in February 2016. It sends a clear message that we will not tolerate these kinds of behaviour.”
Dan Maycock, risk assurance sirector at RSM said: “This case has drawn attention to the reality of modern slavery in the UK and the police and prosecutors are to be commended for their efforts in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“Businesses also have an important role to play in tackling the menace of modern slavery. Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, companies must ensure they have adequate arrangements in place to prevent the use of illegal, trafficked or slave labour.
“Simple steps such as ensuring all staff have the right to work in the UK and have a written contract of employment, undertaking vetting of labour agencies and checking to see if there are common addresses or bank details can all help flag the possibility of trafficking and slavery. Failure to comply can also result in unlimited financial penalties.”
