Darrell Simester revealed how the only toilet he had was broken and for a decade he slept in a shed, hearing rats scratch at the door every night
A modern day slave who was forced to work unpaid on a farm for 13 years has spoken for the first time about his ordeal.
Darrell Simester, 44, revealed how the only toilet he had was broken and for a decade he slept in a shed, hearing rats scratch at the door every night.
He was kept at Cariad Farm in Peterstone near Newport, south Wales, only ever having two days off.
He lived in appalling conditions, first in a rat-infested shed then a cold, squalid caravan, with only a horse trough to wash in and no soap or toothbrush.
David Daniel Doran, 42, was jailed last month for four-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to forcing Mr Simester to perform forced or compulsory labour.
Mr Simester said: "I wished he’d have got 13 years for what I’d gone through.
"Living in a shed, then a caravan, in them cold, dampy nights, freezing cold and frightened as well. In my heart every day I was thinking I wonder what happened to the rest of my family.
"Just kept going over in my head and in my stomach every day I was on that horrible, horrible farm."
Police said Doran took advantage of "Darrell’s vulnerable and timid nature" in an "appalling betrayal" while the Crown Prosecution described it as "modern day slavery".
Doran, who is from a traveller family, stood trial at Cardiff Crown Court alongside his father but after his son changed his plea to guilty, the prosecution dropped its case against his 67-year-old father, also called Daniel.
In a TV interview to be shown on BBC 1 Wales tonight, Mr Simester also spoke of his dreams for the future saying he hopes to find a wife and to have "a couple of kids".
He was found thanks to public appeals by his parents Tony and Jean. They are also interviewed for the Week In, Week Out programme which will be broadcast at 10.35pm.
Darrell’s father describes the first time he saw him after 13 years.
“I went, ‘that’s not my son; that’s not my son’. But as he got closer and looked up, ‘cause he walked towards me with his head bowed, I could see it was my son,” said Mr Simester Sr.
His wife said she told her son: “You’re coming home. You can’t stay here”.
"It was like winning the lottery: getting my arms around him and giving him a hug.".
Detective Superintendent Paul Griffiths from Gwent Police led the investigation. He said a pattern is emerging across the UK involving some cases of forced labour.
“We could see some significant overlaps and similarities between criminals from the travelling community exploiting vulnerable adults for their own benefit.”
He also says that criminal elements within traveller families are deliberately targeting vulnerable, often homeless men, at specific places.
“Whether they are shelters, park benches, or other locations where they would congregate but similarly those suspected of these offences would be able to target different people for their own means,” he added.
Anthropologist Michael Stewart said for some traveller families, having a servant demonstrates wealth.
He said: “It’s certainly true that in some cases for traveller families having dependent servants who are non-travellers is a form of demonstrating wealth and status and achievement and you have the space to house these people, you have the social pulling power in a sense, that you’re an attractive enough proposition.”
The way in which South Wales, West Mercia and Gwent police investigated Mr Simester’s disappearance is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
