"Melbourne man jailed for forced labour,"

A Templestowe man has been sentenced to three years and six months’ imprisonment for forced labour offences, after coercing a victim to work 14-hour days for two consecutive years under threats of deportation...

The victim started employment at a Box Hill confectionery business in 2015, where he was forced by the owner to work 14-hour shifts without any breaks.

The investigation identified the owner had promised the victim he would help him to secure a visa to remain in Australia, while also making threats to report the victim and his family to the authorities for working illegally.

During his first year of employment, the victim was only permitted a single day off to rest.

The AFP investigation also identified the victim was not paid for his first three months of employment and was later paid $10 per hour, but the payments were inconsistent.

On several occasions, the victim and his wife also performed work outside of the commercial business for the offender, including domestic duties such as cleaning and gardening at the business owner’s home.

The business owner – who was also a medical practitioner - supplied the victim with painkillers to force him to continue working and endure the poor working conditions...