THREE JAILED FOR TRAFFICKING WOMEN FOR SEX
Two men and a woman who trafficked people to the UK and forced them into sex work have been jailed.Wieslaw Michniewicz, 53, Aleksandra Timoszek, 32, and Mariusz Seretny, 45, were each convicted of modern slavery and prostitution offences following a trial at Leeds Crown Court last year.
They were arrested after a police investigation was triggered by an anonymous letter, which was later established to be from one of the victims.
The offences were found to have taken place between December 2015 and July 2016.
Police said that after receiving the letter in July 2016, Polish nationals Michniewicz and Timoszek, who were married at the time, were identified as key suspects.
The pair targeted vulnerable women, predominantly living in Poland, and offered them legitimate work in the UK.
However, when the women arrived they were told they now had a debt to pay off and were forced into sex work.
The investigation showed how the women had been transported by the couple on a daily basis to massage clubs, including premises in Leeds and Sheffield.
The women were forced to work up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week, providing sexual services at the venues, with all the money they earned then handed directly to Michniewicz and Timoszek.
Evidence linked Mariusz Seretny to travel bookings, advertisements on sex work websites and money transfers out of the UK.
Several women were found at the address and safeguarded by police.
Police found £16,000 in cash in the property.
The police seized three luxury cars from Michniewicz and Timoszek, including a Porsche Panamera, a Porsche Carrera, and an Audi R8.
The investigation identified 14 victims aged between 17 and 31 who had been targeted.
The youngest was brought to the UK at 17 and was put to work in a brothel the day after her eighteenth birthday.
Analysis of handwritten ledgers recovered at the address showed that prostitution of the 11 victims had generated about £170,000 over the period of the offences.
CCTV footage showed victims being driven off by the suspects daily, and cash being deposited in a safe.
A decision to charge them was made in February 2023, but they had fled the country and were extradited back to the UK before their trial in November 2025.
They were all found guilty by a jury in December.
Michniewicz was sentenced to 15 years, Timoszek received seven and a half years, and Seretny was jailed for five years.
Seretny's wife, Marta, 41, was also convicted of conspiracy to control prostitution for gain and received a 12-month community order with unpaid work.
Det Supt Helen Steele stated the defendants targeted vulnerable women, exploiting their hopes of a better life, and left victims traumatised, with Steele expressing hope that justice would help the victims.
