Lakatos promised his victims work and a home but kept them in his garage without access to heating or running water.
22:01, UK,Thursday 21 April 2016
A people trafficker who kept eight people from Slovakia as slaves in his garage without heating or running water has been jailed for six years.
David Lakatos, who is 30 and from Peterborough, was found hiding under his duvet when police raided his home in December.
Each of his victims was homeless and vulnerable when approached at a railway station in Nove Zamky, Slovakia, and offered a home and work in the UK.
But when they arrived, they were exploited - sent to work in food packaging factories without proper clothing and given just £1 of the wages they earned per hour.
Detective Inspector Jenny Bristow said: "I must recognise the bravery of the victims and thank them for putting their trust in the police.
"This case sends a strong message that we take modern slavery very seriously and we will do all we can to protect vulnerable victims from this type of crime, which is all too often still hidden from public view."
Officers from Cambridgeshire Police were told how Lakatos had assisted the victims to get national insurance numbers and bank accounts, but he would then keep all the documents.
The workers were only fed once a day - usually leftovers - and had limited access to bathroom facilities in the main house.
At times, they would also face violence and abuse.
Lakatos, who spends part of his time in Britain and the rest in Slovakia, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to facilitate the entry into the UK for the purpose of exploitation, two charges of battery and two charges of fraud at Huntingdon Crown Court.
He has been sentenced to a total of six years and nine months in prison for his crimes, which took place between 2010 and 2015.
His mother Maria Lakatosova, aged 51, of Highbury Street, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to benefits fraud, after claiming money under the name of one of her son's victims. She received a six month prison sentence.
The case forms part of a wider investigation into modern slavery in Peterborough, known as Operation Launch, which has seen 36 arrests since April 2015.
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