Batley man found guilty of human trafficking at Dewsbury bed factory

A former factory owner from Batley who employed large numbers of Hungarians as a 'slave workforce' at a Dewsbury bed-making firm which supplied shops like John Lewis, Next and Dunelm Mill has been found guilty of people trafficking.Mohammed Rafiq was found guilty of conspiracy to traffic at Leeds Crown Court today (Wednesday) and is due to be sentenced on February 12.His conviction is reported to be the first of a company boss for human trafficking offences in the UK.A jury was told how an investigation into Kozee Sleep, based in Dewsbury, and its subsidiary Layzee Sleep, based in Batley, began after two Hungarians, Janos Orsos and Ferenc Illes, were arrested over human trafficking allegations.Large numbers of Hungarian men were employed at Rafiq's Kozee Sleep factory, supplied to them by Orsos.At the beginning of the trial in October, prosecutor Christopher Tehrani QC said Rafiq knew Orsos's organisation would source him 'cheap slave labour to work at Kozee Sleep and Layzee Sleep factories'.Mr Tehrani said Rafiq was 'aware of the circumstances of the Hungarian nationals who were working at these sites and went along with their exploitation as a slave workforce.'The prosecution submits that this course of offending demonstrates a persistent campaign of exploitation involving many Hungarian men over a prolonged period of time.'Rafiq, 60, of Thorncliffe Road, Staincliffe, denied a single count of conspiracy to traffic individuals within the UK.The court heard how ethical audits by leading high street retailers failed to spot what was going on.Mr Tehrani said the firm supplied companies including Next Plc, the John Lewis Partnership and Dunelm Mill.He said: 'As part of the contract, Kozee Sleep was required to adhere to each company's policies re ethical trading, which included how they treated persons who worked on their premises.'Mr Tehrani said each firm conducted regular ethical audits before May 2014 but he said: 'Nothing untoward had been uncovered during those audits.'The men were promised
Mohammed Rafiq.Mohammed Rafiq.
Mohammed Rafiq.