A couple who trafficked women from Romania to work at brothels in Newham have been jailed.
Ionut-Viorel Motroc and his wife Monica-Olimpia Motroc, formerly of Romford Road, were among four people sentenced yesterday for their part in a sexual exploitation conspiracy.
Kingston Crown Court heard how Ionut-Viorel Motroc, 36, led the operation to bring women to the UK where they were held against their will and financially extorted.
He subjected sex workers to violence, raping two of them, and made false allegations to police if they did not agree to his terms.
His 36-year-old wife acted as a brothel manager while Shane Gilshnan, of Royds Lane, Leeds, acted as a security officer.
The case came to light after Ionela Dragan, of Upton Lane, Forest Gate, made a false allegation to police that she had been forced to work as a prostitute after being directed to do so by Motroc.
He then enlisted the help of Surinder Kumar, of South Park Drive, Seven Kings, to hide the evidence.
Monday’s sentencing followed a retrial after a jury failed to reach a verdict on several counts when the first trial concluded in December 2014.
This time, the Motrocs and Gilshnan were found guilty on all counts.
Both Dragan, 35, and Kumar, 56, admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice at the start of the trial.
Kumar was jailed for 12 months while Dragan will be sentenced later this week.
Ionut-Viorel Motroc was sentenced to 25-and-a-half years imprisonment for five counts of rape, two counts of perverting the course of justice, two counts of false imprisonment, and his guilty pleas to two counts each of trafficking for sexual exploitation and controlling prostitution.
His sentence will be served consecutively with that received in the first trial; his total sentence for this investigation is 38 years.
Monica-Olimpia Motroc was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for two counts of false imprisonment and her guilty pleas to two counts of controlling prostitution. Her sentence will also be served consecutively with the six years she received from the first trial.
They will also be subject to Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders which prohibit them from any contact with any of the women who passed through their enterprise.
The purpose of Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Orders is to prevent slavery and human trafficking offences being committed by people who have already committed such offences. The term of the order is indefinite.
Shane Gilshnan, 51, was tried in his absence. He was found guilty of two counts of controlling prostitution for gain and was sentenced to nine months imprisonment
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