'Heinous' criminal and his partner enslaved 'vulnerable' young woman to pay off 'debt'
A "heinous" criminal has been jailed after a couple enslaved a woman, ordering her to do chores to pay off a £4,000 "debt" as she lived with them.
David Johnstone and his partner Cheri Blossom O'Rourke "took over" the victim's life after Johnstone was arrested while apparently buying her cannabis.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard how they blamed the "vulnerable, young" victim for Johnstone's drugs arrest, and made an "unjustified demand" of her to pay £4,000.
He told her she would "get her face smashed in" if she did not pay up and that he "didn't care" how she got the money.
She was forced to live with the couple for the best part of a year, "more or less doing what she was told". Johnstone and O'Rourke had possession of her bank card, and would take money out of the victim's account when her benefits were paid in, and forced her to apply for jobs she did not want to do.
