Two people who arranged for underage girls to be trafficked for sexual exploitation have been convicted of offences under the Modern Slavery Act today (21 Nov).
Diane Chilcott, 40, and Daniel Pusey, 21, were found guilty of facilitating travel for a person to be exploited following a trial at Guildford Crown Court.
The trial heard how the pair would invite girls under the age of 16 to Chilcott’s house in Chertsey, Surrey, before victims were then taken to hotel rooms where they would be plied with alcohol and drugs and, in some cases, would also be sexually exploited.
The convictions relate to the trafficking of three victims, all of whom were aged between 13 and 15.
Christine Mission, from the CPS, said:
“The Modern Slavery Act is designed to protect vulnerable people from being exploited and the victims in this case were underage teenage girls, some of whom were sexually abused.
“The defendants claimed they had no intention of exploiting the girls and were not aware that another person would commit an offence against them. The prosecution sought to prove that this claim was a lie and the jury has now agreed.
“Contrary to some preconceptions, human trafficking is not just about people being moved in or out of the UK. Our wide-ranging laws also cover any travel within the country and they allowed us to successfully prosecute the defendants in this case.”
The defendants will be sentenced on December 18.
Ends
Notes to Editors
· Christine Mission is a lawyer with the CPS South East Rape and Serious Sexual Offences unit.
· Diane Chilcott was convicted of three counts of facilitating travel for a person to be exploited contrary to section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
· Daniel Pusey was convicted of four counts of facilitating travel for a person to be exploited contrary to section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
