Overview
- Hewa Margai, 45, was convicted on November 19 of eight counts of holding a person in slavery or servitude under the Modern Slavery Act.
- He received eight years and six months in prison on November 27 plus a 10-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order.
- Police say he lured eight Romanian nationals in late 2020 with false promises, seized their IDs, and forced them to live in a small on-site shed.
- Officers raided the Mitcham car wash on February 1, 2021 after the teenager’s tip, communicating via Google Translate with the group they found.
- One woman required hospital treatment and multiple surgeries after rescue, and all eight victims have since been repatriated to Romania with Met and International Justice Mission support.