After a six week trial at Leicester Crown Court, a jury on 26 April 2018 convicted Joseph Rooney of conspiracy to require persons to perform forced or compulsory labour, and two offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Joseph Rooney is the final member of the Rooney family to be convicted following England’s largest ever prosecution for modern slavery offences. Nine of his relatives were tried or pleaded guilty during 2017 in proceedings in which Chris and Alex Young acted for the prosecution.
Joseph Rooney could not be tried with his relatives because he had fled the jurisdiction before arrests were made. He was charged after US authorities deported him to the UK. His offending included trafficking a man all over the UK to work laying driveways against his will, inflicting punishment beatings on his workers, and requiring one man to spend Christmas Day in a horse-box. He was sentenced yesterday by HHJ Spencer QC to 11 years imprisonment. Chris was led by David Walbank QC of Red Lion Chambers.
The case has been reported in the national media. Click here to read more.
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