Brothers trafficking Polish workers sentenced to six years in prison for modern slavery

Two brothers who trafficked 18 people from Poland to the UK to work at a Sports Direct warehouse and conned and threatened them, have been sentenced to six years in prison for modern slavery.

Two brothers who trafficked 18 people from Poland to the UK to work at a Sports Direct warehouse and conned and threatened them, have been sentenced to six years in prison for modern slavery. The BBC report that Erwin and Krystian Markowski, recruited the vulnerable men in Poland to work at the Sports Direct warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire. The pair controlled their victims’ bank accounts and kept most of their wages, totalling £35,000, between 2015 and 2016.  They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to arrange travel with a view to exploitation and fraud by false representation and were sentenced to six years in prison for modern slavery. During the sentencing, the Judge, said it was a “planned and systematic” scheme of “human trafficking”.


This update provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment tribunal and appellate court cases are reported, the information does not set out all of the facts, the legal arguments presented and the judgments made in every aspect of the case. Click on the links to access full details. If no link is provided, contact us for more information.  Employment law is subject to constant change either by statute or by interpretation by the courts. While every care has been taken in compiling this information, SM&B cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Specialist legal advice must be taken on any legal issues that may arise before embarking upon any formal course of action.

Read more

Latest News

Read More

10 Essential Strategies for Leaders Handling Redundancy Announcements

26 July 2025

Future of HR

26 July 2025

Despite flexible policies, nearly 4 in 10 still feel guilty being offline...

Management

25 July 2025

It’s better for everyone if employees use their initiative. Better for line managers who are not dragged into micro managing. Better for the individual who...

Newsletter

Receive the latest HR news and strategic content

Please note, as per the GDPR Legislation, we need to ensure you are ‘Opted In’ to receive updates from ‘theHRDIRECTOR’. We will NEVER sell, rent, share or give away your data to third parties. We only use it to send information about our products and updates within the HR space To see our Privacy Policy – click here

Latest HR Jobs

Natural Environment Research Council – NERC – Research and Skill Directorate (Discovery Team)Salary: £36,650 per annum. UKRI Band D This provides summary information and comment

Scholars School SystemSalary: £45,000 to £50,000 This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment tribunal and appellate court cases are

Human Resources Manager – Manufacturing – Birmingham We are delighted to represent a prestigious, multinational manufacturing organisation in their appointment of a Human Resources Manager

Job Title: Human Resources Manager Location: Office-based, Palmers Green N13 Job Type: Full-time, Permanent Salary: £40,000 – £45,000 per annum (dependent on experience) Overview We

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE

Read the latest digital issue of theHRDIRECTOR for FREE