Peter Swailes Jr: man avoids jail after vulnerable victim found living in squalid shed for 40 years

A man who exploited a vulnerable victim alongside his father has walked free from court.

Peter Swailes Jr, 56, has been given a nine-month jail term suspended for 18 months for his part in keeping an vulnerable victim in squalid conditions while “using and exploiting” him over 40 years.

Swailes Jr’s father Peter Swailes Snr had denied the offence before passing away last year while awaiting trial.

Victim kept in squalid conditions for 40 years

The victim, who was described as having a “very low” IQ of 59, was made to live in a small horse box, a disused caravan and a 6ft wide shed over the course of 40 years in Carlisle.

They were used for various jobs by their “boss” Peter Swailes Sr, who was found to have exploited the worker by providing low wages and squalid accommodations, the court heard.

The victim was approached by Swailes Sr at the age of 18, who had invited the teenager to work with him to complete various jobs.

The man, now in his 60s and living in supported accomodation outside of Cumbria, said: “I was kept in a padlocked shed on a mattress, unable to leave unless I was told I could.

“I didn’t run away because I had nowhere else to go.

“I now go on daily walks just because I can. I enjoy long walks to the shops, watching football and have made new friends.”

Authorities were tipped off about the conditions in which the victim had been living and working on October 2018, with police finding the man living in the 6ft shed which was not equipped with any heating, lighting or flooring.

While the victim was living in shocking conditions, Swailes Sr was living in an adjacent chalet with expensive possessions.

Swailes Sr’s dog was living in a similar sized shed to the victim, although the dog’s accomodation was fitted with a gas heater and carpet.

Prosecutor Barbara Webster said: “He (the victim) was found by the police living in a rotten shed, with water pouring through it, with a make-shift bed, and congealed vomit in the corner. Not the way that anyone would choose freely to live and not where he would be if he could have found himself better living accommodation.

“He had few possessions to show for his 40 years’ hard work. He only had a wash bag, three second-hand coats, a few stained duvets, and CDs.

“Peter Swailes Senior had a far better standard of living – an elaborate, carpeted home with expensive personal belongings. A palace, by contrast to where (the victim) lived.”

Swailes Jr admits wrongdoing

Along with Swailes Sr, his son was also charged with offences under the Modern Slavery Act, which came into law in July 2015.

While his father died in 2021, Swailes Jr appeared at court on Friday 4 February where he admitted that he had conspired with his father to financially exploit the man.

However, Swailes Jr, who left the family home at the age of 14 in fear of his father, made a basis of plea which stated that although he knew the victim, he did not know about the living conditions he was living in.

Instead, Swailes Jr said that from “time to time” his father would arrange for the man to undertake work with him and that he would “on occasion” pay him less than the minimum entitlement.

When police initially found the man, he told them that he had been paid only £10 a day for various work duties.

As a result, Swailes Jr was spared from jail and was given a nine-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months.

Julie McCullough, defending, said: “Peter Swailes is coming to terms with the fact that on occasion he undermined the trust and affection.

“He would employ (the victim) on a casual basis and on occasion he paid less than he ought to have done.

“For that he is sorry.

“He was shocked and angered to see the full picture once these proceedings were under way.”

Judge Richard Archer told Swailes Jr: “You may not have known the true extent of (the victim’s) living conditions, or his precise IQ, but it must have been obvious to you that he did not have any real appreciation for the potential consequences of some of the work that you required him to perform at an undervalue and with little or no regard for his personal safety.”

The sentence handed down to Swailes Jr was given with Judge Archer taking into consideration a pre-sentence report which categorised him as posing a “very low” risk of reoffending and also took in account his poor health.

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