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28 Mar 2022

A modern slavery accusation can be extremely upsetting and even more confusing. Maybe you were excused by an employee at work, who had been previously happy under your employment, or a close friend with no prior problems. Maybe the allegation has come out of nowhere from someone you’ve never met. There could be a variety of different situations. No matter the accuser, or the time it was made, our criminal solicitor can help.

Here at ABV Solicitors, our priority is defending you and getting you your most favourable outcome. We’ll use our extensive experience and unique knowledge to keep you updated, informed and ready for anything that might come your way.

What is modern slavery?

A modern slavery accusation may relate to two different meanings. The first covers holding a person in slavery and being aware of that fact, or forcing a person to perform compulsory labour while also knowing that this is slavery. Human trafficking accusations may also fall under this category. If you are arrested for these accusations, or know that the accusation has been made, you must get in touch with our criminal solicitor in order to be provided with effective help. It is also important to know that you should not make your own contact with the accuser. It is in your best interest to not answer any questions until you have a legal presence to advise you.

What are the consequences of a modern slavery accusation?

Depending on the varying factors relating to your accusation, the consequences can be quite different. Regardless of factors, however, these consequences will still be severe and damaging for yourself and those around you. The maximum sentence for modern slavery allegations is life imprisonment. There are three different levels to sentencing from these accusations; low, medium and high.

A high culpability looks at whether or not you as a person stand to gain financially from modern slavery or if there was extreme planning and organisation involved.

Medium culpability is from cases when you aren’t the lead person in the accusation but still highly involved and have caused suffering through intimidation.

Low culpability refers to someone who might have been intimidated to join in and had limited interaction or enforcement with the victim.

How can we help?

Our criminal solicitor will have a plan in place the moment we are made aware of the accusation. We will first look at the evidence and analyse it thoroughly, covering all bases. In some cases, these accusations will have been made with the intent of bringing to light another issue that is not related to modern slavery, including not paying wages or out of revenge. When a relationship through employment is relevant to the case, we will look into the past extensively and ask for witnesses to describe the working environment. Social media and conversation history is also very important during this time, as we may be able to prove that a claim is false through some written evidence. For example, a passing comment that implies working under your employment is like slavery could have been made, which does not typically mean you have forced someone into servitude. Don’t panic when faced with an accusation of this matter, just reach out to us.