London police rescue three women held captive for 30 years

British police on
Thursday rescued three women from a
London home where they were believed
held as slaves for at least 30 years by a
couple who were arrested. Officials identified the victims as a 69-
year-old Malaysian woman, a 57-year-
old Irish woman and a 30-year-old
Briton. Police described the women as “highly
traumatised”. Detectives arrested a 67-year-old man
and a 67-year-old woman at their
home in south London. Police swooped after being contacted
last month by the Freedom Charity,
which received a call from a woman
stating she had been held against her
will in a house in London for more than
30 years, Scotland Yard said. Police said the woman had contacted
the charity — which helps young
people to understand forced marriage
and honour-based violence — after
seeing a TV documentary featuring the
group’s work. Detective Inspector Kevin Hyland, from
Scotland Yard’s Human Trafficking
Unit, said: “A television documentary
on forced marriages relating to the
work of Freedom Charity was the
catalyst that prompted one of the victims to call for help and led to their
rescue.” Police inquiries established the
location of the house and with the help
of “sensitive negotiations” conducted
by the charity, the three women were
rescued. “We applaud the actions of Freedom
Charity and are working in partnership
to support these victims who appear to
have been held for over 30 years,”
Hyland said. “We have launched an extensive
investigation to establish the facts
surrounding these very serious
allegations.” Earlier this year, three women who
were imprisoned in a house in
Cleveland, Ohio, for more than a
decade were freed.