British man trapped in shed as 'slave' for 40 years, officials say

a reply to: shooterbrody

I wonder if the man was mentally handicapped and couldn't think for himself.

It's hard to believe anyone with any desire to escape would have either lashed out at his kidnapper or planned an escape within the first few years of being kidnapped. He was 21 years younger than his kidnapper, so I would think he would have had more agility and strength to escape his confinement.

Didn't his parents report him missing? Maybe his kidnapper mentally brainwashed him? Weird,.. poor guy.

originally posted by: SprocketUK
a reply to: shooterbrody

Residential site...gypsies.
There's some down the road from me got done for slavery. Still got the range rover, Aston etc.

Filth like that need killing.

Gypsies?
That's interesting.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
a reply to: shooterbrody

I wonder if the man was mentally handicapped and couldn't think for himself.

It's hard to believe anyone with any desire to escape would have either lashed out at his kidnapper or planned an escape within the first few years of being kidnapped. He was 21 years younger than his kidnapper, so I would think he would have had more agility and strength to escape his confinement.

Didn't his parents report him missing? Maybe his kidnapper mentally brainwashed him? Weird,.. poor guy.

I dont know that's why I asked for local input from our UK members.

a reply to: shooterbrody

I see a few folks asking why the man did not smash their captors face in or rebel etc...

One of our greatest strengths as human beings is our ability to adapt to surroundings, we can survive in almost any situation because of it.

It's also why it is our greatest weakness in my opinion. We adapt to almost any situation we are put in to survive without realising.

This seems extreme (and I agree it is) to anyone not adapted to the situation because it is too far removed from what seems normal.

Yet, put any human being into the same scenario and let time pass, they will adapt and think its normal without question. The only question is, how long will it take to adapt to the surroundings.

Look around at what is going on in the world just now and what is being allowed to happen but its normal.
This situation in the OP's post was at a local level and carried out over 40 years. If it worries or leaves you gobsmacked, think about what can be done with 40 years of global/national conditioning or similar. Nobody would even have a clue what on earth should be normal compared with the generation/conscensus at the beginning of the experiment (for what of a better way to put it)

Every mind has a breaking point and the conditions change the mind to enable survival.

Just my thoughts

a reply to: shooterbrody

Local input here. Carlisle isn't the Lake District. It's true that there are rural areas north of Carlisle, but nothing on the scale of some parts of the US. You will always be able to see another building / farm / village from where you are. It is difficult to believe that other people didn't know he was there ... in fact, they almost certainly did - relatives of the alleged captor claimed the victim stayed there willingly (as reported in the local newspaper, the News and Star).

Other points to note, in no particular order:

The authorities (councils, police, health services, fire and rescue etc. are now well trained to look for evidence of human slavery).

It is a known problem amongst the gypsy / traveller community, though not exclusive to them. There is almost no foreign agricultural workforce locally, another source of human slavery.

The phrase "residential site" is almost synonymous with "traveller site". It's a strange phrase to use if they mean something else. I know of only one traveller site north of Carlisle, and that has only been there about 10 years. Perhaps they mean something less official than a recognised site. There is another to the north west of the city, actually within a couple of miles of the centre, but I doubt if that's what they are talking about here. 40 years is a long time to stay in one place - has he been forced to travel with his captors?

Mental ill-health and / or other vulnerabilies is very common amongst victims of human slavery.

a reply to: lordcomac
Doesn't sound like either one of the geezers were university material.....but the guy in the shed is a study worth a PHD for any bright psychologist....
How on earth could one fool the neighbours etc for decades???

A lot of them do it. Usually there is some family connection, but almost always, it's someone with mental problems or a lack of English. It fits their business model, cash in hand, manual work.

originally posted by: shooterbrody

originally posted by: SprocketUK
a reply to: shooterbrody

Residential site...gypsies.
There's some down the road from me got done for slavery. Still got the range rover, Aston etc.

Filth like that need killing.

Gypsies?
That's interesting.

a reply to: shooterbrody

this really irks me , cases where the abuser is old and will die soon , so they cant live our their sentence , with the guilt and fear of being attacked on the inside like how they made their prisoner feel!

We quickly need to invent something to prolong someones existence solely so they can live out their sentence
and once they have lived suspended somehow and their sentence has passed they can be released to die !

It sounds cruel , but how can that person learn anything if they die before being brought to justice , or even serving a single day in prison!

I suppose I just have to hope that karma is real and the abuser in this case is punished for their wickedness and cruelty !

a reply to: sapien82

No matter his age if the old bastard is going to be keeping vulnerable people locked away in a shed for 40 years.

The favor should be returned, lock him away in a 8 by 10 feet gaol cell for a similar period of time and see how he like them apples.

My bet is he does not last half a decade never mind 40 years.

a reply to: andy06shake

Aye that's what I mean by creating some sort of time suspension where your body and mind doesn't age , but you are still conscious like sleep paralysis ,

you are trapped in your body and have to endure the guilt for what you have done !

For those who lack the part of their brain for empathy or guilt , we should correct that and give them empathy and make them feel pain and guilt for the heinous crimes !
So if you are a psychopath and have no empathy because your brain lacks that particular lobe or structure which gives us this ability ! We develop medical tech to replace that , and we make them feel , what the other person has felt , like a mind meld !

damn those vulcans are good !

It was a Gypsy on a Gypsy "camp". I'll guarantee you 100% that all the "camp" knew about him and probably used him to some extent. Now you have to wait for the excuses, oops I mean reasons, like we're Gypsies, it's our way of life, we are a noble race, we have a Gypsy council, we have our own language etc., etc., BS, BS, BS.
They aint Gypsies. They're idle tax dodging travellers who like to use the term Gypsy.

a reply to: lacrimoniousfinale

Thank you!

a reply to: shooterbrody

Latest local update - although it hasn't been officially confirmed, the local press understands that the "residential site" in question is the traveller site within 2 miles of the city centre - the one I didn't think it would be. This is a large site - at a rough guess, I'd say there'd be 150 - 200 residents at any one time. Goodness knows how many people have passed through there over the years.

It is bordered on one side by ordinary residential property, and on the other by land owned and used by the local constabulary! I've never heard of any trouble there, or police involvement.

I'm slightly incredulous that someone could have been held in slavery there for 40 years, to be honest, but these things do happen.

How very sad.
Just when you think nothing can surprise you in this world, something like this pops up.
I can't imagine what went through his mind being in that shed. I mean 40 years is a lifetime. So much has passed him by.

I also wonder what was going through his captures head. How could one human being do this to another?

not enough details presented - to make an informed descision - and the full facts will probally never be revealed

a reply to: sapien82

Speaking of 'empathy and guilt,' you've gone a long way to work out how to torture someone pmsl.

a reply to: shooterbrody

Indentured service is an agreement that benefits both parties. This is not indentured servitude.