2022: Working with partners at the GLAA - The Freiburgs Case

Working with partners is one of the fundamental parts of the GLAA when it comes to supporting vulnerable workers and stopping labour exploitation.  

As a law enforcement agency overseeing a labour market made up of millions of people, working with partners allows us to work effectively, and deliver great results. 

In 2018, Avara Foods, a poultry supplier based in Abergavenny, Wales, contacted the GLAA after co-workers noticed a man who was working for them was wearing the same clothes to work every day and had little food.  

The GLAA spoke with the victim, and what investigating officer Laura Thomas was told was harrowing.  

She said: “The victim, originally from Latvia, had seen an advert on social media for an opportunity to work at a bakery in the UK, by a person we now know as Normunds Freibergs, who said they were a recruitment agency.  

“The advert stated that accommodation would be provided at £85 per week, so the victim came to the UK to begin his new role.” 

When he arrived, Freibergs placed the victim with husband-and-wife Jacobus Stankevicius and Ruta Stankeviciene at their home in Newport, Wales, where he was made to live in fear of threats against his family and physical violence. 

Freiburgs, Stankevicius and Stankeviciene informed the victim he had a ‘debt’ which needed to be paid, and over an 11-month period the trio stole around £10,000 from the victim by plundering his wages and forcing him to work.  

They also stripped him of his passport and bank cards, denied him showers and clean clothes, and threatened him that his family would be targeted in his native Latvia if he ever attempted to leave. He also had parcels which were sent to him by his family stolen and withheld from him. During this period, the most amount of money the victim received was £20 from the trio.  

Working closely with Avara Foods and Gwent Police, Freibergs, Stankevicius and Stankeviciene were all arrested. 

Freibergs was found guilty of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and jailed for five years at Cardiff Crown Court in October 2022. 

Stankevicius and Stankeviciene were convicted of the same forced and compulsory labour offence and Stankevicius, was given a four year jail term. Stankeviciene received a 20 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.  

In January 2023, Freibergs received a 10-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order (STPO), which outlines six conditions restricting his activities once he is released from prison.  

The victim, now in his 30s, was referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a Government framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensures they receive the appropriate support. 

The GLAA was able to support the victim secure employment and move to another part of the country. He is now independent, receiving every penny he works for and is settled with his own place with friends who are not exploiting him.  

Laura said: “Working closely with partners to bring these three people to justice was very important in this case, and without colleagues spotting the signs and reporting the victim to us, we may not have known about the horrific conditions this victim was forced to endure. 

“Exploiters will trick vulnerable workers into coming to the UK with the promise of a good job and better life. The reality is that they end up becoming trapped in a cycle of debt and a life of abuse, unable to escape. If it wasn’t for colleagues noticing something wasn’t quite right, the outcome for this victim may have been worse.” 

The judge said at the time of sentencing; “One brighter note was the kindness shown to him by colleagues at work some of whom gave evidence during the trial. I wish to make clear the evidence before the jury demonstrated this was an employer who was responsible and who took responsibility for the welfare of employees seriously.” 

Laura added: “We all wanted to make sure that this vulnerable individual was being protected by the people who were exploiting him. It’s our goal to stop worker exploitation, and our partnership working achieved a great result, which saw three people face the consequences of their actions.”