MARRIED COUPLE TRAFFICKED WOMEN INTO UK BEFORE SETTING UP BROTHEL IN THEIR FLAT
A couple involved in trafficking vulnerable women into the UK to work in brothels at Manchester Airport has been sentenced to prison.Fabiani Alvez De Souza, 42, and her husband Gareth Derby, 53, were convicted at trial following an extensive police investigation into their activities.
North Yorkshire Police's 'Operation Oasis' initiated the investigation in 2017, initially speaking to five sex workers on Bower Road in Harrogate.
During their third visit in December 2017, officers observed that a brothel was being operated from a flat.
It was also revealed that another woman facilitated travel arrangements for the women arriving in the UK and played a role in managing their activities.
According to Yorkshire Live, De Souza was responsible for renting the flats and creating, posting, and paying for advertisements on adult websites under the categories 'Escorts and Massages,' with locations linked to parts of Harrogate and Kings Lynn.
Investigators found that she paid for flights from Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Brussels to the UK, as well as train and road transport from various airports to her properties.
In September 2017, the police alleged that De Souza and Derby travelled to Manchester Airport to meet a woman arriving from Amsterdam.
They then drove her to the flat in Harrogate, where an advert was subsequently posted online.
The couple then returned to Kings Lynn.
Financial records indicated that De Souza controlled her criminal activities, with two cash deposits of £500 and £600 made into her bank account in Harrogate between October 25 and 30.
Additionally, she paid £70.98 for an EasyJet flight for a woman who travelled from London Stansted to Amsterdam on October 29.
A police spokesperson stated, 'Following this, three cash deposits were made in Harrogate to De Souza's bank account in varying amounts from £163 to over £1,000.
Neither De Souza nor Derby was in Harrogate when these deposits were made.' Further police visits to the couple’s home in Walpole St Andrew, Kings Lynn, resulted in the arrest of De Souza and Derby, and the discovery of another woman involved in prostitution at the address.
Financial investigations revealed that the couple had spent thousands setting up the business but received cash deposits exceeding £40,000 over six months.
De Souza and Derby were both found guilty in Leeds Crown Court of multiple offences, including controlling prostitution for gain.
The court heard that they exploited seven women aged between 26 and 60 from Brazil, Portugal, and Spain.
The pair received five-year prison sentences and were also placed under slavery and trafficking orders lasting ten years post-release.
Detective Constable Leah Kitchen of North Yorkshire Police’s Organised Crime Unit commented, 'De Souza claimed she was helping friends who were working as prostitutes, while Derby insisted he was unaware of these activities.
The truth is they operated an illegal human trafficking and prostitution business.
This case is notable because it is a victimless prosecution, which is unusual and complex.' De Souza was convicted under the Sexual Offences Act of eight offences related to controlling prostitution for gain and seven offences under the Modern Slavery Act for arranging or facilitating travel for exploitation.
Derby was found guilty of two charges pertaining to controlling prostitution and facilitating travel for exploitation.
