Five in court to face Govanhill sex trafficking charges

Five people have appeared in court accused of trafficking women into Scotland for prostitution.

The suspects faced an indictment listing 33 charges at the High Court in Glasgow.

Women are said to have been brought over from Slovakia and held in “slavery or servitude”.

The allegations span between 2011 and 2017 mainly centring on flats in Glasgow's Govanhill.

One accusation includes a claim the five did pay one woman's parents “money in exchange for control of her”.

60 year-old Vojtech Gombar, 37 year-old Anil Wagle, 27 year-old Jana Sandorova, 42 year-old Sylvia Racovaand 30 year-old Ratislav Adam each denied the charges they face at a hearing today.

The five are all accused of “conspiring to commit crimes of trafficking people for exploitation”.

The charge claims they did “discuss plans to purchase or obtain control and ownership of women” from Slovakia and elsewhere in the UK.

The allegation further states the suspects did arrange for others “to come and inspect” the females with a view to buying them.

It is also claimed they did “traffic in prostitution” during the six years.

The accusations are said to have been “aggravated by a connection with serious and organised crime”.

Lawyers for the five – who live at a number of addresses in Govanhill – today/yesterday pled not guilty on their behalf.

Sandorova's lawyer Mark Moir told the court he estimated a trial could last between three to four months.

Lady Stacey continued the case for a further hearing in the New Year.

No trial was set.

Bail for the five was continued meantime.