A BUSINESS owner who used two vulnerable men like "slaves" has been jailed for 14 years.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Patrick Joseph Connors, 59, forced Scottish man Michael John Hughes to work for his family business for more than 20 years - paying him as little as £5 a day for back-breaking work.

Jurors were told Mr Hughes was beaten "all the time" if he did not do as he was told and was made to live in appalling conditions.

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A second man, whose identity cannot be revealed, was kidnapped four times after his attempts to escape failed. The 41-year-old has been diagnosed with brittle bone disease osteoporosis after years of malnutrition.

Connors, of Rumney, Cardiff, was convicted with his son Patrick Dean Connors and nephew William Connors of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour.

Patrick Dean Connors was handed a six and a half-year prison sentence, while William Connors was jailed for four years.

Judge Neil Bidder QC said the trio, who operated a tarmacking business based at a farm in Rumney, treated their victims as little more than objects.

He said: "All the offences which you, Patrick Joseph Connors, have been convicted of are examples of conduct designed to keep two vulnerable men in what can only be described as modern-day slavery - in the case of Michael John Hughes, for 21 years.

"By the end of that time he had been completely conditioned to being used by you as a serf.

"Both he and the other victim were selected for their vulnerability. Both were required to do heavy manual labour for very long hours, seven days a week, for very low pay - well below the minimum wage."

The court heard that homeless Mr Hughes was originally from Aberdeen and had been brought up in care.

He left northern Scotland at the age of 18 and travelled to South Wales seeking a better life and began working on a local farm before being "bought" by Connors senior.

In his opening of the case, prosecuting counsel John Hipkin said: "Initially he was given a garden shed to live in and would wash with the outside cold tap and a bucket.

"He would go out to work on driveways and tarmacking. If the work was not carried out ... then he would be beaten - some of those beatings were severe."

The Crown said Mr Hughes was "hunted" when he tried to escape a number of times - including one occasion when he was tracked to Aberdeen and bundled into the boot of a car by Patrick Joseph Connors before being driven back to South Wales.

Mr Hughes later told a jury: "(When we got back) I was made to wait in the garage.

"What happened? I got a beating off Paddy. He used me like a punchbag and put me to the floor before he booted me a few times.

"I was later called out of the garage and handed a telephone before being told, 'tell these people it was just your mates playing a practical joke'.

"It was the police... I told them exactly what he told me to say... otherwise I would get another beating."

Mr Hughes said the treatment continued despite him suffering a broken leg when he was knocked down by a car.

The former drug user, who had a brief stint in jail for unpaid fines, later compared prison as a "holiday camp" compared with his ordeal.

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The trial also heard the second victim in the case - known as Mr K - was also attacked and became so desperate to escape that he once jumped into the path of a bus.

A victim impact statement said: "He felt extremely paranoid and has been constantly looking over his shoulder out of fear at the prospect of repercussions or running into the Connors.

"He has subsequently been diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and has been prescribed anti-depressants."

On the third day of deliberations, Connors senior, his son, 39, and nephew, 36, were convicted of requiring Mr Hughes to perform forced or compulsory labour between 2010 and 2013.

Jurors were told that although the allegations in the case dated back more than 20 years, the offence of forced labour only came into being in the past few years.

Patrick Joseph Connors, of Rumney, was also found guilty of eight counts of causing actual bodily harm, four of kidnap and one of conspiracy to kidnap.

Patrick Dean Connors was also found guilty of one count of kidnap.

Patrick Joseph Connors' son-in-law, Lee Christopher Carbis, 34, of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was cleared of the compulsory labour charge against Mr Hughes but found guilty of kidnapping Mr K. He was jailed for two and a half years.

Not guilty verdicts were returned against Patrick Dean Connors on a charge of conspiracy to kidnap and William Connors on a charge of assault.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it hoped the jury's verdicts would give the victims a sense of comfort after years of abuse.

Catrin Evans, head of the CPS Cymru/Wales Complex Casework Unit, said: "Today's convictions are a direct result of the immense courage both victims have shown in coming forward to report what happened.

"The criminal justice system cannot undo what has happened to them, nor give them back the years they have lost, but we hope that these convictions will give them some measure of assistance as they continue to rebuild their lives."

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Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths of Gwent Police, who led the investigation, described the case as tragic.

He said: "These types of crimes have a lasting effect on the victims - it is not just the physical degradation, it's psychological too. It causes deep and long-lasting trauma. We will always ensure that anyone coming forward has access to the support services needed to help them rebuild their lives.

"In circumstances like this, victims live in fear of the people controlling them.

"This is why the help of the public is paramount. People in the heart of our local communities are often the ones who can spot the signs of exploitation and help those who are unable to help themselves."