'˜Cruel' human trafficker forced woman to work as sex slave at Leeds bus station

A sex trafficker who forced a woman to work as a prostitute at Leeds bus station has been jailed after being found guilty of offences under the Modern Slavery Act.
Jozef Sztojka.Jozef Sztojka.
Jozef Sztojka.

Jozef Sztojka forced the victim into approaching men and offer unprotected sexual services for £30 a time after arranging for her to be brought to West Yorkshire from Hungary.

A judge who jailed Sztojka for nine years said: “It is impossible to imagine a more cruel way to behave to another human being.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 36-year-old took the vulnerable victim’s money and identify documents from her as soon as she arrived in Leeds in March this year then forced her to work as a prostitute at the bus station.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court heard the woman had flown to the UK from her home in Budapest after being promised a job working as a cleaner.

The woman had lost her council house in the Hungarian capital and her son had been taken into care.

She saw the job offer as her only way to earn enough money find to new accommodation in her home city so she could be re-united with her child,

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After scraping enough money to pay for a flight to Stansted airport, she was given written instructions to travel to Leeds where she met Sztojka.

He then took her back to his “shabby” home on York Road and told her she would have to become a sex worker if she wanted food and money.

Sentencing Sztojka, judge Neil Clark said: “She had no money, no means of support and virtually no English.

“She was to be used as a slave for you in what can only be described as the very seediest of circumstances.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“You forced her to go to the bus station and hawk herself around, placing herself for sale effectively, and with one broken English phrase involving the words “sex” and “money”, she was was offering herself to people for £30 per time.

“It is not just slavery, you forced her in to prostitution.

“One cannot imagine worse. She had no control over her physical or emotional destiny.”

The offending came to light when the woman managed to run away from Sztojka after five days and alerted police officers at the bus station.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

West Yorkshire Police detectives were then involved in a “painstaking” investigation examining hours of CCTV footage from the station.

On many occasions the woman was seen on camera as Sztojka was “lurking” in the background.

Sztojka was found guilty of two offences of arranging travel for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

Judgel Clark said: “Although her slavery was short, it did not end through any actions on your part.

“This was offending of the cruellest and meanest type.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The weakest and most vulnerable of people having been sought out, shipped and then used in the most awful way to provide you with money.

“The idea that you, a fit but apparently mean and wasteful young man, can behave in this way is offensive to anyone with any sense of decency.”