Rockdale couple, Joshua McAleer and his wife, Shiela McAleer were today sentenced for slavery-like offences, after luring a Filipino woman to Australia, and forcing her to work around the clock as a domestic helper in their Sydney home and business, including the Kapamilya grocery and eatery stores across Sydney.
Mrs McAleer, a mother of three who enjoys shopping at high-end fashion boutiques, will be put behind bars for 3 years and 3 months, with a non-parole period of 14 months.
Mr McAleer was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months but is on bail until the judge can assess whether he can serve his sentence in the community.
Both have been ordered to pay the victim a total of 70,000 dollars.
Highlights
- A couple who made a Filipina work like a slave will face lengthy jail sentences and will be forced to repay her $70,000.
- The victim arrived in Australia in 2013 after Mrs McAleer paid for her passport and a three month tourist visa which barred her from working.
- The judge noted that the McAleer case is a rare example of a prosecution involving the charges of forced labour and harbouring an unlawful non citizen, with only one other prosecution in Australia to date.
The victim, who can't be identified, worked as a maid and a nanny, in the McAleers' home in Sydney, and later in the family's Rockdale grocery store and restaurant.
The victim was manipulated and her movements were restricted.
She was financially dependent on the couple and threatened with harm if she attempted to leave. It is alleged she was made to work non-stop all day and into the night as a housekeeper and sitter for the three McAleer children.
She was not free to leave the home without permission and was forced to use a fake name while in public.
Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson from AFP Human Trafficking Specialist Command says there could many other cases hiding in plain sight.
"These cases such as this one today, is shocking and truly heartbreaking to be honest with you, occurring on a more regular basis. People and the community may think that human trafficking and slavery doesn’t occur in Australia but nothing could be further from the truth. It is happening and it’s happening here in our own communities and in our own backyards."
The AFP says these cases are truly traumatising for victims of trafficking and slavery type offenses. Their message to victims that there is help available, and a way out of these shocking situations.
The AFP said they received 223 reports trafficking and slavery over the last year, but they fear the real numbers may be much higher due to a lack of reporting.
