Modern slavery accused denies forcing man to hand pay over

Ruta Stankeviciene claims Mr Kazoks gave her his bank debit card to make withdrawals on his behalf

A woman accused of being in a gang that forced a Latvian man to work and hand over £10,000 in wages said he was "like a child".

Rolands Kazoks, 31, lived with Ruta Stankeviciene, 57, and her husband, Jokubas, 59, in Capel Close, Newport.

A court heard Mr Kazoks' cash and passport were withheld.

Ms Stankeviciene denies the accusations and said Mr Kazoks had money and gave her his bank debit card to make withdrawals on his behalf.

A court heard Jokubas Stankevicius was one of three accused of forcing Rolands Kazoks to work

Ms Stankeviciene, her husband and Normunds Freibergs, 40, of Morley Crescent, Newport are accused of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour.

Mr Freibergs is also accused of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation and as acting as an unlicensed gang master.

They deny all the charges at their trial at Newport Crown Court.

The court was told Mr Kazoks went to Newport for work arranged by Mr Freibergs and a Latvian contact.

Normunds Freibergs has denied arranging the travel of a person with a view to exploitation

Mr Freibergs took him to stay with the couple at their home in the city's Pillgwenlly area, where he remained for 11 months from November 2017.

Ms Stankeviciene described him as an "odd person" who was untidy and smelly.

Prosecutor Lowri Wynn Morgan said if he was smelly, it was because he was not allowed to shower or wash his clothes regularly.

Ms Stankeviciene said that was untrue.

The mother of five told the court she was unhappy when her husband told her a man was coming to stay at their three-bedroomed house.

"Initially I did not agree, I was very reluctant but my husband calmed me down," she said.

"I calmed down and said he would stay for two or three weeks."

Ms Wynn Morgan said: "He calmed you down when he said it would be profitable for you."

Ms Stankeviciene said: "He did not say that. He said Rolands was a young person who did not have anywhere to live for a few weeks."

The court heard the couple told him he would have to pay £50 for food and lodgings.

Paying 'debts'

However, it took weeks for him to find work as a cleaner at Avara Foods, a meat processing plant in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, and, during that time, his "debts" grew.

Earlier, the court was told his bank accounts and debit cards were controlled by the three defendants.

The jury has been shown CCTV images of the couple regularly withdrawing money from Mr Kazoks' accounts minutes after he had been paid.

They were also told sums of money had been transferred from his account to that of Mr Freibergs.

The court heard that the defendants told him he would get his wages when he paid his debts for rent and bills - but those debt spiralled and he was left penniless.

The trial continues.