Polish Couple Sentenced for Trafficking Young Women into UK Sex Slavery
A married Polish couple who operated a sophisticated human trafficking ring from their Leeds home, forcing vulnerable young women into prostitution to fund their lavish lifestyle, have been sentenced to a total of 22.5 years in prison. Wieslaw Michniewicz, 53, and his wife Aleksandra Timoszek, 32, were convicted of modern slavery and controlling prostitution offences following a decade-long investigation by West Yorkshire Police.
False Promises and Brutal Exploitation
The couple specifically targeted vulnerable Polish women, some as young as 17, with promises of legitimate employment in the United Kingdom. They advertised positions as childminders or in local bars and shops to lure their victims across borders. However, upon arrival in Leeds, the women were immediately informed they had substantial debts to repay and were coerced into sex work under threat and manipulation.
Their youngest victim was forced to work as a prostitute in a brothel the day after her 18th birthday. The trafficked women were made to work up to 20 hours daily, seven days a week, having sex with clients for money. None of the earnings were given to the victims; instead, all proceeds were confiscated by Michniewicz and Timoszek under the guise of repaying fabricated debts.
Lavish Lifestyle Funded by Suffering
The couple used the substantial profits from their sex trafficking operation to finance an extravagant lifestyle. Police raids on their Willow Avenue property in September 2016 uncovered three luxury sports cars—a Porsche Panamera, a Porsche Carrera, and an Audi R8—alongside £16,000 in cash. Handwritten ledgers discovered in a safe revealed the couple had generated approximately £170,000 from exploiting their victims.
These meticulous records detailed the significant debts assigned to each woman, documenting the systematic financial control exercised over them. The evidence painted a clear picture of calculated exploitation for personal gain.
Complex Investigation and International Cooperation
The investigation, described by police as "complex and painstaking," spanned ten years and involved extensive international cooperation. Detectives translated over 1,000 pages of social media messages from Polish to English, uncovering travel bookings, flight details, and ferry reservations used to transport victims. They also recovered phones containing messages, photos, videos, and passport details of the trafficked women.
CCTV footage from the couple's home showed victims being driven daily to various locations, while receipts for international money transfers provided further evidence of the operation's scale. Polish authorities and Europol were instrumental in supporting victims across borders, with many women returning to Poland following the arrests.
Extended Criminal Network
Michniewicz and Timoszek were supported in their operations by Michniewicz's cousin, Mariusz Seretny, 45, and his wife, Marta Seretny, 41, who lived at Grange Close in Hunslet. All four conspirators were charged in February 2023, though Michniewicz and Timoszek initially fled the country before being tracked down and extradited back to the UK.
The trial at Leeds Crown Court began in November 2025, with the jury returning unanimous guilty verdicts against all four defendants on December 18, 2025. Fourteen victims, aged between 17 and 31, were identified during the investigation. Some women were deemed unsuitable upon arrival and sent back to Poland, while another grew suspicious and refused to travel.
Sentencing and Police Response
At sentencing, Wieslaw Michniewicz received 15 years imprisonment, while Aleksandra Timoszek was given seven and a half years. Mariusz Seretny was jailed for five years for his role in supporting the sex ring, and Marta Seretny received a 12-month community order with 80 hours of unpaid work and five rehabilitation days.
Detective Superintendent Helen Steele, Senior Investigating Officer, stated: "The victims have each suffered harrowing experiences and have been left understandably traumatised by the ordeals they were put through. We hope that it will help them in some way to know that those responsible have now been brought to justice."
She emphasized the hidden nature of modern slavery, urging the public to report any suspicions of exploitation immediately. "Modern slavery offences are truly abhorrent, and we remain absolutely committed to doing everything we can to target those involved. This is a crime that is often hidden in plain sight," she added.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges in combating human trafficking and the importance of cross-border police cooperation in bringing perpetrators to justice while supporting vulnerable victims through traumatic experiences.
