This is the moment police rescued slaves from their cramped north London home after they were forced to toil long hours at McDonald’s and a factory supplying major supermarkets.
A family-run human trafficking gang went undetected for years after victims were brought to the UK from the Czech Republic with the promise of a better life.
But they were left shivering in their beds amid basic conditions at a terraced home in Enfield with most of their wages stolen and their passports seized.
A BBC investigation found Ernest Drevenak and Veronika Bubencikova, both 46, controlled them through fear and violence while lavishing their earnings on gold jewellery and luxury cars.
Brothers Ernest and Zdenek Drevenak started exploiting the men in 2015 but were only caught in 2019.
It is estimated the couple stole at least £200,000 from the 16 slaves over the four-year period.
Half were put to work for between 70 to 100 hours per week at a branch of fast food restaurant McDonald’s in Caxton, Cambridgeshire.
The others were made to work for a firm making pitta bread with factories in Hertfordshire and London.
The pair denied holding people in slavery but were found guilty at Cambridge Crown Court last October. Reporting restrictions prevented coverage of the case until now.
Drevenak, of Bedford, was jailed for 12 years and Bubencikova, of Upper Cambourne, for ten years on December 7.
Victims were homeless, unemployed or in very low-paid jobs in their home country and could not speak English.
Warning signs, such money being paid into accounts under other people’s names, were missed for years by UK officials, the BBC reported.
One victim named Pavel, who waived his right to anonymity, told the broadcaster: “You can’t undo the damage to my mental health, it will always live with me.
“We were afraid. If we were to escape and go home, [Ernest Drevenak] has a lot of friends in our town.
“I do feel partially exploited by McDonald’s because they didn’t act. I thought if I was working for McDonald’s, that they would be a little bit more cautious, that they will notice it.”
Detective Sergeant Chris Acourt, who led Cambridgeshire Police’s investigation, said there were “massive opportunities” that were missed to detect slavery and alert authorities sooner.
He added: “Ultimately, we could have been in a situation to end that exploitation much earlier had we been made aware.”
McDonald’s (UK & Ireland) said it had “taken action to strengthen the ability of our people and systems to detect and deter potential risks”.
The company added current franchisee - Ahmet Mustafa - had only been “exposed to the full depth of these horrific, complex and sophisticated crimes” in the course of his co-operating with police and the prosecution.
A spokesman told the Standard: “The victims in these cases were cruelly exploited by the criminal perpetrators of these shocking offences.
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“McDonald’s commends the bravery the victims showed during the legal proceedings in bringing the criminals to justice.
“Together with our franchisees, we have taken action to strengthen the ability of our people and systems to detect and deter potential risks.
“In addition, this year, we have begun a partnership with Unseen, a leading expert organisation that specialises in addressing modern slavery issues and helping businesses in mitigating any risks of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains.
“We care deeply about the welfare of every single one of the 168,000 people working at McDonald’s and franchisee owned restaurants across the UK and Ireland.
“With our franchisees, we will play our part alongside government, NGOs and wider society to help combat the evils of modern slavery.”
