Three human traffickers from Bradford have been jailed for a total of more than 20 years after a woman was snatched from Eastern Europe, taken to Bradford and later sold to a man who forced her into a sham marriage and repeatedly raped her.

The “unsophisticated” 20-year-old was kidnapped from her rural home in Slovakia and put on a coach where she believed she was heading for the Czech Republic to find work, but she was then thrust into a “sordid world” of international people trafficking A judge yesterday passed sentence on five people, including three from Bradford, following a ten-week trial at Preston Crown Court.

Abdul Sabool Shinwary, 38 of Washington Street, Girlington, Bradford was jailed for ten years and three months after being convicted of people trafficking for exploitation and false imprisonment.

Imrich Bodor, 45, of Clipstone Street, West Bowling, Bradford, was locked up for nine years after being found guilty of people trafficking for exploitation and false imprisonment.

Kristina Makunova, 37, of Girlington Road, Bradford, pleaded guilty to people trafficking for exploitation during the first week of the trial and was given a 51-week prison sentence.

Azam Khan, 33, of Brougham Street, Burnley, was jailed for 12 years after being found guilty of people trafficking, three offences of rape, assault and false imprisonment.

A fifth person, Nusrat Khan, 40, of Colne Road, Burnley, was handed a nine-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of false imprisonment.

Petra Dzudzova, 25, of Clipstone Street, West Bowling, was due to be sentenced today after being convicted of people trafficking for exploitation.

A woman was thrust into a “sordid world” of international people trafficking when she was taken to Bradford and later sold to a man who forced her into a sham marriage and repeatedly raped her, a judge said.

The court heard how the young woman was taken to London and then on to Bradford, where she was kept prisoner for weeks by fellow Slovakian Bodor, before he passed her on to Shinwary, a Pakistani asylum seeker.

Shinwary was a known fixer of sham marriages between Asians and Eastern Europeans, the court heard.

He sold her like “cattle” as a prospective bride to Azam Khan, who took her to live above his uncle and aunt's shop in Burnley, Lancashire.

The Pakistani national went on to “wed” her just weeks before he was due to be removed from Britain as an illegal overstayer. The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was again kept against her will as she was raped and beaten by Khan. Her ordeal came to end when an anonymous call to the police last October led to her discovery at the address in Brougham Street.

The victim returned home in January but returned to the UK to give evidence at the trial where Khan, Shinwary and Bodor were convicted of their crimes.

Sentencing, Judge Jonathan Gibson said: “Over the past two months or so and during the course of this trial the jury and I through the evidence have observed at close quarters a sordid world of international people trafficking. And in particular we have observed the trauma, pain and distressed suffered by one of its victims.”

The judge said: “There is no doubt that even though there is one victim in this case, this is a serious case of exploitation involving elements of modern slavery in an organised manner.”