On 21 November 2017, Diane Chilcott and Daniel Pusey, who arranged for underage girls to be trafficked for sexual exploitation have been convicted of offences under the Modern Slavery Act. The trial was prosecuted by Christopher May and John Keal at Guildford Crown Court.
Diane Chilcott, 40, and Daniel Pusey, 21, were found guilty of facilitating travel for a person to be exploited following a trial at Guildford Crown Court.
Daniel Pusey had already been convicted at a trial earlier this year of 8 sexual offences against under-age girls.
The trial heard how the pair would invite girls under the age of 16 to Chilcott's house in Chertsey, Surrey, before victims were then taken to hotel rooms where they would be plied with alcohol and drugs and, in some cases, would also be sexually exploited.
The convictions relate to the trafficking of three victims, all of whom were aged between 13 and 15.
Christine Mission, from the CPS, said:
"The Modern Slavery Act is designed to protect vulnerable people from being exploited and the victims, in this case, were underage teenage girls, some of whom were sexually abused.
"The defendants claimed they had no intention of exploiting the girls and were not aware that another person would commit an offence against them. The prosecution sought to prove that this claim was a lie and the jury has now agreed.
"Contrary to some preconceptions, human trafficking is not just about people being moved in or out of the UK. Our wide-ranging laws also cover any travel within the country and they allowed us to successfully prosecute the defendants in this case."
The defendants are due to be sentenced on 18 December 2017.
Chris May is a heavyweight criminal barrister instructed in some of the most serious, and often high profile criminal cases either as the leading junior or sole advocate. Chris is ranked in Chambers and Partners (2017 & 2018 editions) as a leader in the field of crime at the London Bar. Chris is the head of the Criminal Team at 5SAH and he is the Senior of the Kent Bar Mess.
John Keal is an experienced criminal barrister, with a strong practice in the most serious types of criminal cases. John also specialises in white-collar crime. John’s ability is most apparent in the more complex cases. He demonstrates his ability to see the key issues and information in document-heavy cases and those involving complicated legal issues.
