Peter Swailes' slavery sentence under Court of Appeal review

Peter Swailes had denied modern slavery but changed his plea on the first day of his trial

The suspended prison sentence given to a modern slave owner whose victim was exploited for 40 years is under review.

Peter Swailes Jr, 56, was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court to a nine-month prison term, suspended for 18 months.

The charity City Hearts, which is caring for Swailes' victim, asked the Attorney General's Office to review the term under the unduly lenient scheme.

Solicitor General Alex Chalk QC said the sentence has now been referred to the Court of Appeal.

He said: "This was a very serious case of exploitation and I wish to express my sympathies to the victim.

"After careful consideration, I have decided to refer Peter Swailes' sentence to the Court of Appeal as it appears to me to be unduly lenient.

"It is now for the court to decide whether to increase the sentence."

The shed the man was kept in had no lights or heating

Swailes' 81-year-old father, also called Peter Swailes, had been due to stand trial alongside his son but died before the case came to court.

The chief executive of City Hearts, Ed Newton, said he was "really encouraged" the sentence was being reviewed.

"It shows the strength of feeling amongst the public, and anti-trafficking organisations, that criminals who exploit others for gain should not be allowed to get away with it," he said.

The sentence was also criticised by MP Peter Bone when he raised the issue in Parliament last month.

Swailes admitted conspiring to facilitate travel of another with a view to exploitation on the first day of his trial.

The court heard that the disabled victim, who has not been named, was "used and exploited" for 40 years while living with Swailes Sr.

Swailes Jr, of Low Harker, Carlisle, accepted that from "time to time" his father would contact him and arrange for the victim to work with him, and that "on occasion" he paid him less than his minimum entitlement.

Judge Richard Archer accepted Swailes' father had been a "controlling influence on him".

But Swailes Jr admitted paying the man as little as £10 a day while being given thousands of pounds for the jobs he was carrying out.

The man was rescued at the age of 58 by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority after a tip-off in 2018. He now lives in supported accommodation outside the county.

The Crown accepted the defendant's guilty plea in January on the basis he was unaware of the victim's living conditions.