Moment police free man being kept as modern day slave
Police have released footage of the moment they rescued a man who was being kept as a slave.
A 42-year-old man has been jailed for modern slavery offences after locking two victims in his loft, forcing them to work for little or no money and using violence against them.
Between May 2013 and June 2017, Edward Zielinski exploited the two Polish nationals, forcing them to urinate in bottles and one of them was made to work up to 20 hours a day.
The first victim came to the UK of his own accord in 2008 but got into debt with Zielinski's cousin and was subsequently forced to go to Nottingham to work for Zielinski to pay off his debt.
He made greetings cards and later worked for an employment agency while Zielinski controlled his finances, only paying him in cigarettes, alcohol, the occasional piece of clothing from a car boot sale and £10 in cash.
In January 2016, he decided to escape and make himself homeless after Zielinski beat him with a plank of wood, Nottinghamshire Police said.
After he told his story, police searched Zielinski's home in Birkin Avenue, Hyson Green, where they discovered a second victim sleeping on the floor of the loft in scenes captured in police body-cam footage.
Zielinski initially denied the two charges of human trafficking but pleaded guilty to the offences on October 18.
At Nottingham Crown Court, he was sentenced to 40 months in prison.
Detective Sergeant Mike Ebbins, who led the investigation, said: "In both cases Zielinski exploited them for his own financial interests.
"He saw an opportunity to make money out of vulnerable Polish men.
"They were incredibly vulnerable people - unemployed, alcohol dependent, and couldn't speak a word of English - so they were seen as perfect victims."