COUPLE JAILED OVER TRAFFICKING AND PROSTITUTION
Costel Tambac, 50, and Marianna Iova, 35, had moved the women around England as they exploited them sexually over three months in 2016, a trial at Leeds Crown Court had earlier heard.At the same court on Friday, Tambac was sentenced to nine years in prison, while Iova, whose violence towards the women was described by His Honour Judge Andrew Stubbs KC as "less significant" than Tambac's, was jailed for eight.
Judge Stubbs said the women had been "effectively held captive" and received "next to no money", while the defendants gained "substantial sums".
The court had heard how a 19-year-old woman living in a small rural town in the Lasi province of Romania was contacted on Facebook in 2016 by a man who told her he could arrange travel to the UK and find work for her.
Prosecutor Conor Quinn told the court that the man "essentially groomed her", adding that the woman had expected to work at a car wash.
The trial heard that on a minibus to the UK, the woman had met another from Romania, aged 25, who had already been working as a prostitute in her home country.
The 25-year-old had been recruited by a different man with whom she believed she was in a relationship.
When the women arrived in the UK in August 2016, they were said to have been handed over to Tambac and Iova at an address in Wolverhampton.
Upon their arrival, Iova had taken possession of the ID of one of the victims and had broken her phone.
The women were put to work as prostitutes on the same day.
Mr Quinn said Tambac was "particularly aggressive" towards the women and kicked one of them when he found out she was pregnant.
The women saw between six and eight clients a day, with Tambac also driving them to appointments.
"The money paid out for the services was handed straight to the defendants," he added.
Threats of violence were made if they did not comply, and Tambac allegedly threatened to rape one of the women.
The victims did not speak English and were intimidated into silence.
Leeds Crown Court heard that the women were later trafficked around the UK, working at addresses in Leeds, Dewsbury, Liverpool, Nottingham, and Oldham.
The women were warned their families would be shot if they spoke out, and despite police visits, control was maintained.
It is estimated that £26,000 was spent advertising their services online, indicating significant profit from their exploitation.
The younger victim escaped in November 2016 with the help of a client; the second victim remained until February 2018, working in Spain and Belgium under the same control.
Tambac did not give evidence in his defense and attempted to blame Iova.
The judge rejected this, emphasizing the coercion and exploitation involved.
Iova maintained her innocence, citing her background as a Roma woman with limited education, which conditioned her behavior.
Both were traced to Amsterdam after fleeing the UK in 2018 and were arrested earlier this year.
They were extradited back to the UK and sentenced to 9 and 8 years respectively, with additional orders to prevent slavery and trafficking.
The police's investigation was conducted alongside Romanian authorities.
