Slavery Investigation: Man In Court

3 October 2011, 10:31 | Updated: 4 October 2011, 12:21

A 51 year old's become the latest person to be charged after men were found allegedly being held as slaves at a travellers' site.

Tommy Connors Senior is accused of 11 offences of conspiracy to place people in servitude or forced labour at a travellers' Site near Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Police raided the site on Sunday 11 September 2011 and freed twenty four men who had been living in horse boxes, sheds and dog kennels.

Tommy Connors Senior was due to appear at Luton Magistrates Court on Monday 3 October 2011.  Five members of the same family have already been charged.

Heavily-pregnant Josie Connors, aged 30 years, appeared in court in September 2011 charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit offences of holding people in servitude, plus two counts of requiring people to perform forced labour.

Heavily Pregnant Woman In Court

Her husband James, aged 34 years, has been charged with six offences of conspiracy to hold a person in servitude and requiring them to perform forced labour.

Tommy Connors, aged 26 years, Patrick Connors, aged 19 years and James (Jimmy) Connors, aged 23 years, have all been accused on four counts of conspiracy to hold a person in servitude and requiring them to perform forced labour.

The prosecutions all concern Green Acres travellers' site near Leighton Buzzard where police found several men being kept in squalid conditions.

Officers had received information that 24 people from England and Eastern Europe were being held against their will and forced into manual labour. Some were believed to have been there for 15 years.

The men were reportedly brought to the site, in Great Billington, after being picked up at soup kitchens and job centres.

Nine people rescued from the site and taken for a health check have left the medical centre and had chosen not to support the police investigation.

Tommy Connors Senior, was remanded in custody ahead of an appearance before Luton Magistrates Court on Monday 3 October 2011.