3 woman kept hostage for 30 years

[ivykaty44]

one being the whole of her life as she is 30 - how did this person not ever go to school? This is shocking

[Belize]

Because if they wanted to keep her hidden like the case in Austria (both the girl on her own and that horrific case with the whole family underground) then they wouldn't have recognised her officially in any capacity. If she was born into 'slavery' she was captive and like the Austrian women would have had to deal with pain etc as best she could without ever being taken to the doctor or dentist let alone school .

Who would be raising the questions if she was completely hidden away?

[JoinYourPlayfellows]

Ahhhh, sorry Monty, that explains my confusion. :)

I misunderstood.

I've been kind of intrigued and a bit freaked out by the statements about it being THE WORST.

I mean, do they just mean the longest? Or are they talking about what the women went through? How can you even judge something like that if you DO know all the facts?

They keep saying how traumatised the 3 women are. :(

The whole thing is beyond my imagination. I just can't guess at what they might be feeling now.

[JoinYourPlayfellows]

I was presuming they were calling her a British citizen because she was born in Britain and it would be absolutely barbaric to deny her citizenship after what she's been through.

[Monty27]

No worries Join.
What a world we live in. I just hope this discovery serves to free many others :(

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Belize i think you have misunderstood my question.

Join yes excellent point. Of course they couldnt/ shouldnt deny her citizenship. My head hadnt gotten that far along yet. I was still on the 'she was probably never registered so how do they know she is british' bit that was bumbling about in my head.

[JoinYourPlayfellows]

I guess I hope there aren't too many other people living as slaves in Britain.

It frightens me that one of the women was Irish.

Irish people don't count as foreign in Britain, so there is no reason she couldn't have left and received benefits, other than that she was utterly terrified and/or just physically unable to get away.

[JoinYourPlayfellows]

But you're right, YoureBeing - they did keep saying she was a British citizen, not just that she was British.

So perhaps her birth was registered somehow.

Thanks goodness for that charity, those volunteers, they did really good work getting them out.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

I wonder if these women were reported missing all those years ago? I hope so. I hope they have families waiting for them. Would be awful to think nobody noticed them missing.

[JoinYourPlayfellows]

Weird, I never even thought of that. :(

Well I guess nobody outside that house even knows the 30 year old woman.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Nope. I wonder if one of the other women is her mother? I guess that would be preferable than the captors being her parents and only family. Something is niggling at my head along the lines of the irish woman being pregnant 'out of wedlock' and being sent to england as happened until not so long ago. But of course thats just my own head whirring around and based on nothing at all really. Who knows what their stories are. And really only they need to know. Its none of our business other than the justice aspect of it.

[PigletJohn]

this link

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Also interesting that the people arrested didnt flee the house after realising the women had gone! Surely they would have panicked about being caught? Odd

[kylesmybaby]

Can't believe the captures have been bailed and not locked up!

[Monty27]

Thanks Piglet. Just watched the news again there is no further information. typical of sky news I guess

It will all unfold in time no doubt. The captives are probably too traumatised to put their story together for now.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

I suppose it's a sad indictment of urban society in a way that this can happen, not in some secluded rural setting or up a mountain somewhere, but in a thickly-populated part of London. I expect the phrase 'they kept themselves to themselves' will be a big feature when neighbours are interviewed. That the authorities don't know someone exists is unsurprising. We are a free society and, if we don't choose to register, no-one's going to track us down. If they had access to phone a charity, the imprisonment may have been more psychological than physical.

It's going to be an interesting read when the full story comes out.

[deepfriedsage]

I thought the same thing, the Irish woman was rejected by her family whilst pregnant, and in her vulnerability was taken as a slave.

What brave women.

[JoinYourPlayfellows]

There is an item about modern slavery in Britain on Women's Hour now, inspired by this story.

In case anyone is interested.

[campocaro]

I dont understand why the couple have been bailed-anyone know why this might be? Seems crazy to me!

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

The judge must have been satisfied that they posed no flight risk or no threat to the public whilst awaiting trial.

[EmmelineGoulden]

It wasn't a judge that decided to bail them, they haven't been charged with anything yet. Police only have a limited amount of time in which they can hold someone without charge. So if they think it's going to take a long time to get the evidence together to decide on whether they can charge them, they have to bail them.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Ah thanks emmiline. I thought they had been charged.

[hollyisalovelyname]

Where are the couple that held the women hostage from?

[PigletJohn]

I have a feeling that is being kept quiet to avoid feeding prejudices.

Like the gangs that groomed vulnerable young girls in the midlands, until after conviction when their photos were published.