London - A British court sentenced a nurse to 14 years in
prison on Wednesday for trafficking five Nigerian women to Germany to
work as prostitutes, controlling them through voodoo.
London-based British citizen Josephine Iyamu, 51, was found guilty in
a "landmark modern slavery case" after the first prosecution
involving victims outside Britain, the National Crime Agency said.
The investigation involved cooperation between police in Britain,
Nigeria and the German city of Trier.
It began after a brothel owner "raised concerns about the identity of
a woman working there" with German police, leading to Iyamu's arrest
in August, the agency said.
Prosecutors said she was the ringleader of a network recruiting
vulnerable women in rural areas of Nigeria.
Iyamu charged her victims up to 38,000 euros (44,000 dollars), which
they were forced to repay by working in brothels.
She used a voodoo priest to perform traditional West African "juju"
rituals, forcing the women to drink blood containing worms, eat
chicken hearts, have their skin cut with razor blades and swear an
oath of allegiance. They were threatened with serious harm to them or
their families if they broke the oath, prosecutors said.
"Josephine Iyamu specifically targeted vulnerable women and put them
through the most horrific experience for her own financial gain,"
said Kay Mellor of the National Crime Agency after the sentencing.
"She thought living in a different country to where her crimes were
committed would protect her," Mellor said.
Police and prosecutors praised the victims' "courage to describe what
happened to them" via video-links from Germany.