Jailed: The family who forced men to work for a pittance while they led a luxury lifestyle
A traveller family who led a luxury lifestyle after forcing vulnerable men to work for them have been jailed for more than 18 years today.
It was the death of Christopher Nicholls from the Bath area which sparked Operation Tundra and brought about the family's downfall.
Christopher's body was found in a shed near the family's Beggar's Roost caravan site in May 2008.
The family tricked around 37 homeless men into living with them on the promise of work, money and accommodation. They then made them carry out hard labour for little or no pay.
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The men, many of whom were alcoholics or had mental health issues, were housed in crammed, squalid caravans at the Beggars Roost traveller site at Staverton.
Five members of the Connors family were convicted last week of forcing men to work for them.
Today, William Connors, 51, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail, his wife Mary, known as Breda, 48, two years and three months, and their son John, 29, was given four years.
Son-in-law Miles was sentenced to three years in jail and the Connors' other son, James, 20, was sentenced to three years in a young offenders facility.
A year long investigation, including a five month surveillance operation by Gloucestershire Constabulary, culminated in March 2011 when officers carried out warrants at sites in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire and 19 vulnerable people were rescued.
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