A
Nigerian sex trafficking victim forced to work as a prostitute in the UK was
cut on her back, shoulders, chest and legs with a machete during a black magic
ceremony designed to scare her into secrecy, a court heard.
The woman, who
was 20 at the time, told Cardiff Crown Court how she was left with scars all
over her body after being subjected to the ‘juju ceremony’, in which she was
also forced to eat a live snail.
The young woman
is one of two who was allegedly trafficked from Nigeria into Britain by Lizzy
Idahosa, 24, and her husband Jackson Omoruyi, 41.
Lizzy
Idahosa, 24, from London, (left) denies trafficking two women into and around
the UK and inciting them to work as prostitutes. Her partner and co-accused
Jackson Omoruyi, 41, (right) also denies three charges
Giving evidence,
the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: ‘The juju man was
standing there with a big knife, like you use for cutting grass. I was scared
because I did not know what he was going to do to me.
‘He used the
blade to make marks on me. It was sore and it left me with scars.’
Idahosa, from
London, has been charged with trafficking the two women into and around the UK
and inciting them to work as a prostitutes.
She denies a
total of seven charges, which also include transferring criminal property.
Her partner and
co-accused Omoruyi denies three charges of inciting the women to become
prostitutes and transferring criminal property.
On the first day
of the trial, prosecutor Caroline Rees told the court how the woman, who lost
her mother when she was 10, had wanted to travel to London to find her father.
She had met a
woman in Nigeria who promised to help her travel to England, but who first made
her take part in a ‘juju ceremon’y where she was forced to eat a live snail, an
egg and some dust.
The
woman who was allegedly cut with a machete at a ‘juju ceremony’ was arrested
while working as a prostitute at the Ambassador Suite in Cardiff (above)
She was told
that if she broke her vows of secrecy, she would become ill or infertile.
She told the court:
‘Before I
Jackson Omoruyi (pictured above during his arrest) is accused of inciting two women to become prostitutes and transferring criminal property. He denies the charges and the trial continues at Cardiff Crown Court
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Idahosa and Omoruyi used African witchcraft to force the women to comply
‘I was there for
a couple of hours. They brought out a live snail and broke its shell, then they
asked me to swallow it. They gave me some dirty water to drink.
‘I had to give
my underwear to his assistant and the juju man cut the backs of my legs with a
machete and marked me with a razor blade.
‘It made me
bleed and I had pain in my legs. I did everything they asked me because I
really wanted to go to London.’
Adedamola
Aderemi, representing Idahosa, suggested that the woman had fabricated the
story of the juju ceremony and explained such rituals were common in Nigerian
films.
He also
suggested her scars were traditional marks given to children in Nigeria.
The court heard
that, following the ceremony, the woman had travelled to London using a fake
passport and visa.
She then met up
with Idahosa, who told her she would have to pay £50,000 for her travel costs and
started sending her to brothels to earn money to pay her debt.
The woman said
she had worked in eight brothels across the UK, including some in Cardiff and
Swansea.
She told the
court that during a typical day at one brothel in Cardiff she would get up at
10am and get dressed in her underwear before waiting for men to arrive
mid-morning.
She said she
would then have intercourse with up to eight men each day who would pay her £50
in cash.
The court heard
that on one occasion, she had refused to work at a brothel in Swansea.
She said: ‘They
tried to control me and I did not like it, so I left. They told me I had to
sleep with all the men, even if I was tired. I was not allowed to sleep. When
Lizzy found out, she shouted at me.’
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