e first man to be convicted of
trafficking females out of the UK, in
a case involving two Nigerian girls,
has been jailed.
Anthony Harrison, 32, was sentenced
to 20 years for four trafficking
offences as well as two of false
imprisonment.
At Woolwich Crown Court, Harrison,
of Stratford, east London, was
cleared of two counts of rape.
The charges related to teenage
victims who alleged they were
subjected to witchcraft and violence.
Judge Philip Shorrock said the
sentence was being imposed "to
deter others who are tempted by
this terrible trade" and "to reflect
public disgust".
Juju magic
Harrison imprisoned both girls -
aged 14 and 16 - at his home in
Albert Square, Stratford, in 2009,
before attempting to traffic them to
Spain and Greece as prostitutes.
The two had been controlled by Juju
magic rituals, the court was told.
One of the girls was gagged and
bound in Harrison's bathroom
The case is thought to be the first of
its kind in Europe to involve a
prosecution linked to such a practice.
Both girls came from small villages
in Edo, Nigeria, and were sold into
prostitution with the help of the local
Juju priest.
Juju is a significant part of West
African culture.
Police said Harrison was a key player
in a sophisticated network of West
African people traffickers operating
in the UK.
After Harrison was convicted, the
prosecution told the court: "This has
been something of a unique case
and ground-breaking. It's the first
time there has been a prosecution
for trafficking out of the UK.
"It's the first time the Crown has
been able to persuade victims of
these type of offences to give
evidence."
Det Con Andy Desmond, of
Metropolitan Police, said: "These
young women suffered the most
terrifying and degrading ordeal -
leaving them emotionally,
psychologically and physically
traumatised.
"Most cruelly of all, they were
brainwashed into believing that if
they disobeyed their captors by
seeking help, they would die.
"They were also told that if they
went to the police for help they
would be handed straight back to
their captors."
A Home Office spokesman said: "We
will seek to deport this individual at
the earliest opportunity.
"Our priority will always be to
protect the public, and we will seek
to remove any foreign national
convicted of a serious crime.
"Last year we removed 5,235 foreign
criminals from the UK."