ESG Enforcement Tracker

Key facts:

On 19 November 2025, a carwash owner based in South London was found guilty of eight counts of holding a person in slavery or servitude contrary to section 1 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Between November and December 2020, eight Romanian nationals were trafficked to the UK, including a 15-year-old boy. The victims were promised accommodation, fair pay, food and legal employment. Instead, their IDs were confiscated on arrival, they were forced to work in the car wash, were housed in a small room on the premises, and were subjected to physical, mental and psychological abuse. During the lockdown, the victims were confined to the carwash premises and paid rent to the owner.

The police received information from one of the victims on 1 February 2021. They attended the car wash the same day where they found the eight victims. One of the victims developed a severe infection, requiring hospitalisation and multiple surgeries. The infection was a direct result of the neglect and conditions she had been subjected to during her captivity.

Following a five-year investigation by Metropolitan Police’s Modern Slavery Unit, the perpetrator was sentenced to eight years and six months imprisonment on 27 November 2025. He was also handed a 10-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order.