‘Inhumane and degrading’: Colombian man charged after group allegedly kept in horror conditions

A group of people were allegedly locked in cupboards for several days while their passports and earnings were controlled in Australia.

A Colombian man allegedly locked people in cupboards for several days and took control of their passports and earnings in Adelaide’s inner north.

The 38-year-old, who lived in Kilburn, allegedly helped members of a youth group he used to lead in Venezuela to migrate to Australia in 2015, with another group member also moving to Australia in 2016.

However, once they arrived in Australia police will allege the man took control of their passports and earnings, tracked their movements, restricted daily activity, and forced victims to “pay off debts that were unreasonably enforced” in what’s been described as “ongoing cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment”.

The man allegedly helped youth group members from Venezuela to migrate to Australia in 2015. Picture: AFP

Police allege he isolated the victims from family and friends and restricted or oversaw their private messages to loved ones while also locking them out of the group home or inside cupboards for several days.

Australian Federal Police Detective Superintendent Melinda Adam said servitude practices, including debt bondage, take place when “people are subjected to conditions to which they had not agreed”.

“Victims are significantly deprived of personal freedom in all aspects of their life, and threats, coercion or deception are often used against them,” Superintendent Adam said.

“Offenders usually benefit or profit off vulnerable people who cannot, or will not, report exploitative conditions out of fear of retribution by perpetrators, social isolation and financial dependence on offenders.”

The man was arrested and is expected to front the Adelaide Magistrates Court on November 15. Picture: AFP.

A search warrant was executed at the man’s Kilburn home on Thursday.

The man was arrested and AFP investigators seized electronic devices and documentation.

He was charged with one count of causing debt bondage (aggravated), cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, with the maximum penalty for the offence being seven years’ imprisonment if convicted.

He was also charged with one count of causing a person to enter into or remain in servitude (aggravated), cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

The 38-year-old is expected to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Friday.

Superintendent Adam urged people to come forward if they suspect someone is at risk of being exploited.

“The AFP urges people to be aware of the indicators of slavery-like practices and report anything that may seem suspicious,” Superintendent Adam said.

Indicators of human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices can include having no access to earnings or savings, having no choice of accommodation and never leaving work premises without being escorted by an employer.

A full list of indicators can be found on the AFP website.