Zurich couple on trial for abuse of “house slaves”
Published: Tuesday, Sep 10th 2024, 12:20
Updated At: Tuesday, Sep 17th 2024, 05:00
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A married couple from the Winterthur region exploited two young women as "house slaves" and kept them in a small cage. They have to answer for this today, Tuesday, at the district court of Andelfingen ZH.
The 46-year-old Swiss man from the Winterthur region has pronounced sadistic tendencies. Consensual sado-maso role-playing games with BDSM slaves were not enough for him - he wanted to completely control women, tie them up and lock them in a cage against their will. This is stated in the indictment.
By promising young women from abroad an education and a residence permit, he was once able to lure a 22-year-old Filipina and once a 30-year-old Brazilian woman into his home. His wife, a 32-year-old Filipina, helped him.
The first "house slave" was the 22-year-old who was locked in the house from July 2018 to April 2019. According to the indictment, the accused pretended to organize a residence permit for her. She could also train at the "International Maids School". She would learn a lot about gastronomy and Swiss geography. However, this school does not exist.
With handcuffs and shackles in the cage
Instead of training and a permit, the woman was given a tight schedule of housework, six days a week and on call around the clock for just 800 francs a month.
In her sparse "free time", the man locked her in a windowless cage with a floor area of just two square meters. Metal bars served as doors. There was no toilet here, just a bucket - and a surveillance camera.
He tied her up every day, except at Easter, her birthday and New Year. In addition to the hand and foot cuffs, she also had to wear a leather collar that was connected to the shackles so that she could hardly move. According to the indictment, he told her that this was a requirement of the school.
He carried out "tests" with her
He also carried out "tests" on her. If she did badly, she was punished, for example by being tied up or wearing tight-fitting gloves. If she did well, she was rewarded with visits to restaurants or a trip to the zoo. After ten months, the young woman was finally able to escape.
In 2019, the IT project manager again recruited a "house slave", this time a 30-year-old Brazilian woman who came to Switzerland to learn German. According to the public prosecutor, he promised her "German lessons at the highest level".
Under the cover name "Gustav Wohlenweber", he sent her photos of the beautiful detached house with pool. The 30-year-old's existence as a "slave" lasted from the end of June to mid-July 2019; she was finally freed by the police. The Filipina, who had previously been locked up, filed a complaint with the police.
Basically confessed
The 46-year-old is charged with human trafficking and deprivation of liberty, among other things. Because he has basically confessed, the trial is being conducted in summary proceedings. His argument is that the women themselves agreed to the "setting" when they signed the contract.
If the court accepts the prosecution's proposal, the man will receive a partial prison sentence of 36 months, although he will only serve nine months. As "Gustav Wohlenweber" has already spent five months in custody, he will probably have to serve another four months behind bars.
They will also receive outpatient therapy. The "master of the house" has already paid the two victims a total of CHF 16,000 in compensation. His wife, who was responsible for supervising the "slaves", is also on trial.
She is to be punished with a conditional prison sentence of 10 months for multiple counts of aiding and abetting deprivation of liberty. In addition, Philippina is to be expelled from the country for 5 years. The Andelfingen District Court will hand down its verdict on Wednesday.
©Keystone/SDA
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