I was promised a good job in the UK but became a slave in fake charity scam, was regularly beaten with a belt and hoover and gang master stole my passport
JAKOB cowered in the corner too terrified to fight back as blows rained down on his head.
Weeks earlier he had quit his homeland of Poland to come to the UK on the promise of a good job, a decent wage and comfortable accommodation.
Instead he found himself a prisoner living under the constant threat of violence, beaten with a belt and forced to walk the streets in all weathers, delivering and collecting fake charity bags.
His passport was confiscated so he had no way of returning home and his wages were withheld so he often went hungry, surviving on just £30 a week.
Jakob - whose name has been changed because he is still petrified his gangmasters will find him - is one of an estimated 136,000 victims of slavery in the UK, who live alongside us unnoticed, washing our cars, painting our nails and delivering charity bags.
When slaves do manage to escape from their masters – 7,000 were rescued in Britain last year – they are shockingly only entitled to 45 days of help from the government.
Here Jakob, who is his late 20s, tells Sun Online his story.
“If a member of the public suspects their collection sack is fraudulent then we would encourage them to contact the police.”
Drinking to forget
Jakob ended up on the streets, sleeping on a park bench at night and drinking heavily. During the day he hid from police and from his boss, terrified at what would happen if he was found.
After four weeks, Jakob was approached by an outreach worker from Crisis Skyline, who offered him breakfast and a shower.
He was persuaded to go to the police and explain the story to them and he was referred to National Referral Mechanism.
He was offered a place in a safe-house run by the Medaille Trust, the largest provider of sanctuary for victims of trafficking in the UK, and he began to tackle his alcohol problem.
He said: “I was drinking because of memories and because I got bored, with no job just staying in my room. I didn’t want to go anywhere.
“When I came in this house for the first couple of months, every time I saw a car that looked like my boss’s car I got very worried. I was paranoid.
“The staff helped me with my alcohol and I am no longer drinking.”
But for Jakob, like many others, the nightmare wasn’t over.
After settling into the safe-house, Jakob got a letter to say he was entitled to stay in the UK for just 45 days, which plunged him into depression.
“I thought ‘Oh My God, it’s only 45 days,’" he said. “At this time I didn’t have my passport so if I had to leave the house after 45 days I would have ended up back on the street. I was very worried.”
Luckily, Medialle fought for Jakob to be granted an extension of six months, the end of which is fast approaching.
Despite taking training courses and landing a job, which he starts in two weeks, he is once again terrified of being homeless.
You can sign the petition for the Modern Slavery Victim Support Bill .