The Metropolitan Police has been ordered to pay damages to four women for failing to investigate allegations they had been forced into slavery.
The women – who had arrived in London from Nigeria as children – said they were beaten and emotionally abused by families they were forced to work for.
The High Court said the women were “victims of the failure to investigate”.
The victims, now in their mid 20s, will each get £5,000 in damages.
The Met had argued it could not carry out an investigation because the women would not co-operate.
But the court dismissed this as “untenable”.
Mr Justice Wyn Williams said in his judgment the Met Police “did nothing to commence an effective investigation”.
“Their names were known to the police, they wanted their complaints to be investigated,” he said.
“They were directly affected by the failure to carry out an effective investigation.”
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