Photo : Filthy flat where Romanian a migrant threatened countrymen and kept them as slaves

David Lupu forced his fellow countrymen to live a life of slavery inside a pokey east London flat (SWNS)

This is the pokey flat that a Romanian migrant crammed his fellow countrymen inside as they endured a life of slavery and violence.

David Lupu lured fellow nationals into the country with the promise of demolition work

for £50 a day and free accommodation.

However, their payment was just a fraction of what was promised and Lupu, 29, confiscated their ID papers.

Workers were forced to sleep wherever they could (SWNS)

Up to 14 people are crammed into a single one-bedroom flat in Leyton, East London, and they were forced to sleep in the kitchen, bedroom, hallway and storage cupboard on mattresses they found in the street.

All the while Lupu enjoyed spacious conditions in an upstairs flat and ate good food, but bought low quality food for his workmen, who were left gaunt and dishevelled.

When they confronted Lupu about his lavish lifestyle, he punched one of them and threatened to beat them to death if they kept up their demands for more money.

The workers were only allowed out of the flat two at a time and the men were told they owed Lupu hundreds of pounds in rent and other exaggerated costs and forced to work long hours in the demolition industry to repay the money.

Lupu was paid sizeable fees for building work and made profits and eventually relented to pressure and began giving each of the workers £50.

Eventually two of the men sought help while Lupu was briefly out of the country, but when he returned he threatened to break the legs of others and attack their families in Romania to try and keep them under control.

The workers were promised a better life in the UK

The one-bedroom flat was used to house up to 14 people (SWNS)

Following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, he was convicted of holding a person in slavery or servitude and is now facing jail.

David Davies, of the London CPS Complex Casework Unit, said: ‘After promising these men the chance to earn a wage they could never earn in Romania, David Lupu exploited them and treated them like slaves out of sheer greed.

Although these victims were not physically restrained, once Lupu had taken their IDs away, they were controlled and intimidated with violence, threats and the false hope they would eventually be paid.

Detective Constable Marie Marshall, of the Met’s Modern Slavery and Kidnap Unit, said: ‘The victims in this case were promised work and a future in London.

                         Lupu

The reality was very different and they were exploited by the Lupu who arranged work with no intention of payment, saddling the victims in debt.

‘The victims were forced to live in cramped conditions and their movements were controlled by Lupu.

‘When interviewed by officers, the men said they felt like they were treated like animals.’

Lupu was jailed for seven years and was also made subject of a slavery and trafficking prevention order.