LISTEN: ‘Even a dog had a better life than me’ - mother’s harrowing account of being kept as slave and sex worker in Bolton by family jailed for 17 years

Beaten and abused, the two victims of the Dardai family were forced to work as prostitutes, threatened with more violence if they did not comply.

Trapped in a cycle of violence, abuse and fear, police say the family even vowed to kill one of the women's children back in Hungary if she did not continue to work in the sex trade.

The other was told that her 18-month-old daughter would be taken from her if she went to police.

Their ordeal only came to an end after a tip-off from a neighbour, who feared for the safety of the women.

The first victim’s nightmare began during the final few months of 2013 when she met Ferenc Dardai Jnr, who persuaded her to move in with his family in Bolton.

Within weeks she was dragged into a life of sustained violence, forced to work in the sex industry, treated as a slave in the house and beaten daily by both Ferenc Dardai Jnr and his mother Melania Kiraly.

Her life was totally controlled by the family — she was frequently left to starve and rarely allowed more than three hours sleep a night.

The family refused to let her eat using the same plates and cutlery as them, believing her to be dirty as a result of the lifestyle they forced her to live.

Over the course of the next year, the victim lost a quarter of her body weight and was left with numerous long-term injuries as a result of the horrific treatment she had suffered at their hands.

Once rescued by police, hospital staff found her to be severely malnourished. This was alongside the catalogue of physical injuries she had suffered, which had all been left untreated.

Pictures of the victims had been placed on a website advertising their services as sex workers, with potential customers calling a mobile number which was owned and controlled by both Ferenc Dardai Jnr and Daniel Dardai.

Clients would attend another address which was rented by the family specifically for prostitution, or alternatively the victims would be driven to client’s homes by Ferenc Dardai Snr, Ferenc Jnr or Daniel Dardai, with Melania Kiraly collecting the money.

Both women were subjected to a relentless campaign of sexual exploitation, forced to have unprotected sex with countless men and were often woken in the middle of the night by the family because they had received yet another call from a client demanding sex.

Neither victim saw a penny of the money received, with the family often spending it on drugs or visits to casinos.

One of the victims was told that if she alerted police her young son would be harmed back in Hungary. Ferenc Dardai Snr told her that he knew "where her son lived and will make sure that her son would be harmed, or even killed" if she did not comply with their demands.

The second victim, a 21-year-old woman, was subjected to similarly abusive and exploitative treatment.

The woman revealed that while she was living with the other victim at the address on Spa Road, Daniel Dardai forced her to become a prostitute in order to "help support the family".

She too was forced to have unprotected sex with clients — and when she became pregnant Daniel Dardai would punch her in the stomach in an attempt to force a miscarriage.

Like the other victim, the 21-year-old received none of the money she made as a sex worker and was told her 18-month-old daughter would be taken from her if she fled or told police.

Their life of hell finally came to an end on March 26 this year when police officers — acting on information from the community visited the property in Spa Road.

After the officers had placed the occupants of the house in the same room, the demeanour of the two female victims stood out immediately.

They were gaunt, timid in their appearance and the lack of interaction from the family members towards them raised further suspicion.

Individually, both women were taken into a separate room by officers and spoken to away from the family. One victim was so terrified of the offenders she pleaded with officers to pretend she was being arrested, even holding out her hands to be led away.

After being rescued, dedicated officers worked tirelessly with support networks to protect the women and help them regain control of their lives, while a team of officers focused on prosecuting the family and bringing them to justice.

Det Insp Neil Blackwood of Greater Manchester Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Group said: “The treatment these poor women suffered at the hands of these offenders is nothing short of barbaric.

“One victim was often severely beaten, subjected to physical, sexual and psychological torment and was frequently left to starve as the family went out and spent the money they had received for selling her body to strangers.

“She was forced to perform sex acts with a large number of men without protection, placing her health at tremendous risk, and if she ever refused she was viciously assaulted.

“These women were a commodity to these offenders; they served no other purpose than to earn money to fund a lifestyle of drugs and gambling.

“Like so many victims of modern slavery, these women were ultimately controlled by violence and, equally, by fear.

“Fear of assault, fear of sexual abuse and fear for their children’s wellbeing, whose welfare they held above all other concerns.

“Imagine being in that situation, of being the victim of daily violence, sexual abuse and mental torture, but being unable to run in case your child was harmed by your abusers.

“These victims were tremendously brave to speak to officers.

“If they had not spoken up at that point, they may both still be trapped in that cycle of violence, abuse and fear.

“Countless men, women and children find themselves in this position every day and Greater Manchester Police’s specialist Modern Slavery Unit is working hard to remove this threat from our communities.

“If you believe either yourself, or someone you know, is being exploited, be that sexually or in any other way, please do not suffer in silence.

“Finally, we ask communities to remain vigilant – if something doesn’t seem right, call us – we can only help if we know.

"These two victims owe their lives to members of the community who saw fit to speak out.

“We take every report of exploitation seriously and will do everything we can to assist victims and their families.”