............One of the Hungarians – 'Daniel' (not his real name) – told me how he was lured from the poverty of his homeland by the promise of a well-paid factory job but instead was held captive in Britain with veiled threats that his family would be harmed if he left.
The Hungarian immigrants were forced to slog for up to 16 hours a day for just £10 a week at Kozee Sleep (pictured)
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The Hungarian immigrants were forced to slog for up to 16 hours a day for just £10 a week at Kozee Sleep (pictured)

He was promised up to £1,000 a month but, to his horror, when he arrived in Dewsbury he earned less than £2 a day.

He told how, to supplement their income, he and other men were given tobacco and food. In some cases, passports were confiscated, leaving them trapped. They slept in dingy, overcrowded houses with mattresses in every room. The buildings were filthy and sometimes rat-infested.

At weekends, the men were expected to work for free doing house renovations, painting and gardening from 9am until 7pm.

Daniel said: 'I was very happy when I was on my way. I thought, 'I am in work, I can earn, I can support my children' But I was told I was only going to get paid £10 a week and maybe a few smokes and some food and I had to work sometimes 15 or 16 hours a day.'
A John Lewis spokesman said they ended the contract with Kozee Sleep 'as soon as evidence of illegal and unethical practices came to light'
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A John Lewis spokesman said they ended the contract with Kozee Sleep 'as soon as evidence of illegal and unethical practices came to light'

Daniel and the other migrants were piled high into flats and houses. 'There were 14 sharing one bathroom and one toilet. All cooking was done in one pot. It was dirty, crowded and it stank. They said they knew where my family lived and they could get hold of them,' he said.

It emerged that, to get his slaves, company boss Rafiq had used a go-between named Janos Orsos – jailed for people trafficking last year – to contact Hungarians and win their trust with promises of riches.

Rafiq's bed business had once been worth millions but he had hit hard times and was desperate to cut production costs. He was tipped off about the slave trade operated by Orsos, who promised him cheap labour for Kozee Sleep.

Rafiq managed to keep the operation secret and had been considered a fair-minded company owner within the local business community.

The police and Hope For Justice are now co-operating in similar investigations across the country. And it's not just migrants who are targeted for slavery.

Take the case of Darrell Simester, born and bred in Kidderminster in the West Midlands. He ended up enslaved for 13 years on a farm in South Wales before his family tracked him down.

Darrell, who was later diagnosed with a mild form of autism, told his parents he had been offered a job and somewhere to live before moving away and eventually cutting off contact with his family.

His captor, horse dealer David Doran, from a traveller background, was sentenced to four and half years in jail after pleading guilty to forcing Darrell to perform forced labour.

So why didn't Darrell just run away, especially when he was responsible for locking up the farm most nights? I came to realise that his captor had kept him wrapped up in psychological chains.

Psychologist Dr Katy Robjant explains it simply. Victims become dependent on those they rely on for their food, for their accommodation, for human contact. She said: 'People go from being physically restrained to psychologically restrained.'

It's believed there may be many more people like Darrell out there. Separate investigations have already identified two other victims.

A number of police officers I met during my investigation have left their mark on me. Tremendously dedicated, smart and laden with moral courage, they are the front line in today's battle against this ancient scourge.

In the West Midlands, I went on an early morning raid with the police in search of a suspected trafficker and his victims. I met Detective Chief Inspector Nick Dale who is heading a major investigation in the area. His morning's work ended in disappointment.

The suspect was arrested and three men, all suspected modern-day slaves, were taken away to a local police station for a de-brief. What happened next was an eye-opener for me.

The three men, whom police believe were being paid just £60 a week, said they didn't want any official intervention. Instead, they wanted to get away from the police station and get back to work. The police were making them late.

DCI Dale wasn't surprised but, back then, I was. I'm not now. I've learned that many victims of this type of exploitation are targeted precisely because they are vulnerable, perhaps homeless, or long- term unemployed. Others may have served jail time. All are desperate.

And there's something else: pride. Some victims are reluctant to admit they have been conned into servitude. How do they explain to their family back home that they have been duped and that all their dreams have turned to a form of hell?............

How do you stay focused on your goal, HErb? How do you combat the inevitable boredom that comes with writing the same thing, day in day out?

A word for our viewers, please.