Two men have been jailed after a woman they forced into prostitution sent a series of desperate messages to her mother in Romania.
Daniel Purea, 33, and Stephan Balog, 22, who both lived in Kensington, London, were convicted of controlling prostitution after a two-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, independent.co.uk reports.
Purea, who was also found guilty of human trafficking and facilitating the travel of another person with a view to sexual exploitation, was sentenced to eight years in prison. Balog was jailed for four years.
Police were alerted to the crimes after the 19-year-old woman sent a series of messages to her mother in Romania in which she said had been forced into prostitution.
The victim said she had come to the UK after Purea arranged a passport for her and paid for her travel. He then demanded she repay him £2,000. Once she was in London, he arranged for a set of photos to be taken of her and listed her on London escort websites.
The woman said Purea forced her to continue working as a prostitute even after she had repaid the amount many times over.