Couple forced woman into prostitution after kidnap

Mihai Jean-Marinel and Florentina Urmuz were arrested after their victim was subject to a kidnapping, police said

A couple who kidnapped a woman in Romania and forced her into prostitution in Manchester have been jailed.

The victim was coerced into "domestic and sex slavery" in her home country about 17 years ago.

She was brought to the UK in 2018 on the promise of a better life, but was forced to continue to work as a domestic slave and a prostitute by Florentina Urmuz, 27, and her then boyfriend Mihai Jean-Marinel, 29.

They were jailed for 10 years and six years respectively at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court.

The victim was "subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse by Urmuz and her family" in Romania, Greater Manchester Police said, before she was brought to the UK and forced into prostitution in Cheetham Hill and around Strangeways.

The court heard she was treated as a slave and forced to do housework, with all her earnings from the sex work passed to the family.

Jean-Marinel took her earnings and violently assaulted her many times, police said.

Kidnap attempt

On 2 March 2020, she was attacked by Urmuz in the street, forced into a car and driven the Derby.

Following concerns raised by the Manchester Action on Street Health charity, police monitored CCTV footage and found an address where the victim had been taken.

After Urmuz heard police were looking for the victim, she went with her to a Manchester police station to show she was safe.

Urmuz was then arrested but denied her involvement in the kidnapping, saying she wanted to help the victim leave prostitution behind.

While on bail, Urmuz returned to Romania but UK police continued to work with European law enforcement officers to bring her back.

Urmuz was jailed for six years for kidnap and exploitation, while Jean-Marinel was jailed for 10 years for modern slavery and exploitation.

They are both subject to indefinite restraining orders and face deportation on release.

GMP described the case as a "long and complex investigation", with senior investigating officer Det Insp Tony Platten praising the victim for her "incredible strength".

"She endured years of abuse and coercion by this group, forced to live in unimaginable conditions for so much of her life."

Debi Lloyd, European programme manager from Justice and Care, said: "This case demonstrates both how widespread the issue of modern slavery is in our communities, but also the need for brilliant policing and survivor care to bring those responsible to justice."