Carlisle man’s modern slavery sentence to be reviewed by Court of Appeal

Shed with chair and bedding, where the victim was kept while a victim of Peter Swailes — The shed where the man treated as a slave was found

A Carlisle man who was sentenced for modern slavery offences after his dad kept a slave for up to 40 years will have his sentence reviewed.

MP Peter Bone raised the issue in Parliament last month, urging the Attorney General to examine whether the sentence imposed on Peter Swailes was too “lenient”.

Specialist officers found the traumatised and vulnerable victim and his outbuilding living quarters which comprised just a chair and soiled bedding when they raided a residential site north of Carlisle at dawn in October 2018.

In care until he was aged 18, the victim was then invited to work for the late Peter Swailes senior.

He had, over time, lived in a horsebox, disused caravan and, for the five years up to 2018, the shed which had no heating, lighting or proper flooring.

This was in stark contrast to a next-door shed in far better condition, which housed the family dog.

He was vulnerable and had an IQ of 59 which was in the lowest one per cent of the population.

His son, 56-year-old Peter Swailes junior, was sentenced early last month, having admitted conspiring with others, including his late father, to arrange or facilitate the man’s travel with a view to exploitation.

Having looked at the case, the Solicitor General Alex Chalk, QC MP 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.”