THE imprisonment of a family this week who treated two victims as 'modern day slaves' is the second successful conviction of such crimes thanks to a Gwent Police operation.

Operation Imperial started in early 2013 and was set up to investigate modern day slavery and trafficking style offences being committed in Gwent.

On Tuesday, Patrick Joseph Connors, 59, of Greenway Road, Rumney, Cardiff, his son Patrick Dean Connors, 39, of the same address; his nephew William Connors, 36, of Trowbridge Green, Cardiff were jailed for requiring another to perform forced on compulsory labour.

Patrick J Connors' son-in-law Lee Carbis was cleared of forced labour but was found guilty of kidnapping.

During the trial the court heard from the two victims Michael Hughes, 46, and Mr K, 41, who both said they lived in 'squalid' conditions and carried out manual labour work up to 16 hours a day.

Chief superintendent Paul Griffiths who led the operation, said it was the case of Darrell Simester, 46, from Kidderminster, who spent 13 years at Cariad Farm in Peterstone, which first exposed concerns of vulnerable people being exploited by criminals within the travelling community in Gwent.

David Daniel Doran Jr, 43, was jailed in 2014 for four and a half years after pleading guilty to forcing Mr Simester to look after his horses on the farm without pay.

Officers using intelligence from the Simester case were able to identify one of the victims in this case. Mr Griffiths said investigating allegations of modern day slavery are ‘extremely challenging’ due to the timescale of the offences committed, the vulnerabilities of the victims, challenges around offenders, and without modern sciences to support their enquiries.

He said academics estimate there are 10,000 to 13,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK.

Figures show the amount of reported cases of slavery in Wales is on the rise with 71 referrals of potential victims of slavery reported in Wales in 2014 which was a 40 per cent increase on the previous year.

Mr Griffiths said while it has previously gone unreported he thinks society is gaining better understanding of this crime and according to him it was the Simester case which put an end to the perception that victims of modern slavery were mainly from the European community or foreign nationals.

He said in reality it can be anybody who suffers a vulnerability whether it’s any sort of addictions to drink or drugs, social exclusion or mental health issues.

He said: “What we have seen is criminals using people as a commodity to make money and this horrific crime is all about making money.

“It is quite a sinister chain of events.”

Signs someone is being exploited can be anything from physical abuse, distrust of authority, appearing malnourished, any control over documentation, disorientation and someone with limited contact with family or no friends.

Anyone with any concerns should contact the police on 101.