Witness 'never saw restaurant staff abused'

Olwen Dudgeon

A WITNESS told a jury yesterday he never saw staff being verbally or physically abused during his regular visits to an Indian restaurant in Harrogate.

Giving evidence over a video link from America, Scott McCluney said he had lived in a flat on the top floor above the Rajput restaurant in Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate, for six months in 2008 and got to know the Khan family who ran it.

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He would eat there two or three times a week and on eight to 10 occasions was there as late as 1.30am finishing a meal but saw “plenty of smiles” from the staff.

Parveen Khan, 55, her sons Raza, 33 and Shahnawaz, 30, of Green Lane, Harrogate, each deny conspiracy to traffic persons into the UK for the purpose of exploitation at the restaurant between December 3, 2004, and November 19, 2008.

The prosecution claims workers were recruited from India and Pakistan and promised good wages and working conditions but on arrival they had their passports taken, found themselves working long hours and were mistreated.

The jury heard a statement read from Caroline Smale, the principal of Henshaws College, Harrogate, who said she also took students and family to the restaurant.

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She said Shahnawaz Khan assisted disabled students and had helped raise thousands of pounds for the charity at a Bollywood Gala Ball.

Shahnawaz Khan, a director of the company running the restaurant and the head chef in charge of the kitchen, told the jury in evidence earlier in the trial they had to recruit staff from abroad because they could not find good qualified staff in England.

He denied any of them had been exploited and said he was shocked when the allegations were made. They had always worked as a team with staff free to leave at any time.

“It doesn’t make sense to abuse our staff. We wouldn’t have got where we have done by mistreating them,” he said.

The trial continues.

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