Popular sea shanty band who play Glastonbury are at centre of SLAVERY probe after cops raid caravan park
A SEA-SHANTY band is at the centre of a major modern slavery probe which was uncovered after their minibus was involved in a crash.
Six members of The Old Time Sailors, a 20-piece folk music group which has played at Glastonbury, were nicked after their van hit trees near their base in Devon.
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The Old Time Sailors performing at a fair in 2022. There is no suggestion that anyone pictured is directly involved in the investigation
Credit: Alamy
It follows claims that musicians, including fiddlers, banjo strummers and accordion squeezers, were being kept in a caravan park near Tiverton for little or no wages.
It is understood that the group's leader may have fled and is being sought by cops.
The band who are due to play Camp Bestival festival as well as a number of O2 arenas in Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol this summer, have been forced to cancel their upcoming gigs in Cornwall.
One venue WAX in Watergate Bay said: 'So, a little curveball for tonight – due to some unforeseen circumstances, we've had to switch up our planned music.'
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Pictures showed the van crashed into trees following the accident involving a lorry around 7.30am on Monday.
It is understood they were returning from a 10pm gig in Liverpool the night before and had driven through the night before the prang.
No one was hurt but cops at the scene identified several people in the van as possible victims of exploitation.
Officers then searched the band's caravan park in the hamlet of Gulworthy near Tiverton and identified more potential victims, numbering eight in total who are now being 'safeguarded'.
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Devon and Cornwall Police sergeant Thomas Ottley said: 'As part of our response to the initial incident, we identified several of the occupants of the van as being potential victims of exploitation offences.
'They are receiving specialist support and being safeguarded at this time.
Fans slam Glastonbury as 'worst one ever' as full lineup announced
'Shortly after, officers carried out a search at an address in the Gulworthy area which led to the identification of further potential victims.
'We worked alongside the local authority and partner agencies yesterday in safeguarding these individuals and their support was very much appreciated.
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'As part of this investigation, we have arrested six males on suspicion of modern-day slavery offences.
'They are currently in police custody assisting us with our enquiries.'
The six arrested were later bailed as enquiries continue.
In an update yesterday (Thurs), cops said: 'The six individuals who were arrested have all been bailed.
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'The identified victims are being supported by specially trained officers and are receiving multi-agency support. Enquiries are ongoing.'
The band, which plays classic shanties including Galway Girl and The Wild Rover, have been accused of not paying its musicians.
An official statement from the band described the modern slavery claims as 'scandalous accusations, speculation and fabrications' and part of 'an online hate campaign'.
It added: 'The sad fact is a certain crew member parted ways with the band, and following this we received a very threatening email.
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'We didn't respond, and then suddenly it happened. Accusations, lies, horror stories and ruinous allegations.
'We will instead focus on what we have put all our efforts into; the music and performing. We love our fans so thank you for all the support and we hope to see you at a show soon.'
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Several members of the band are now on bail
Credit: Getty
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The Irish Sun
20 hours ago
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I defended female serial killer Aileen Wuornos who slaughtered six – chilling encounter PROVED why she was so dangerous
STARING into the eyes of a serial killer is not for the faint-hearted - but for one lawyer that was his daily reality. Christopher Quarles, 71, defended 48 people on Death Row - including notorious female serial killer 5 Aileen Wuornos killed six men between 1989 and 1990 Credit: Alamy 5 She was killed by lethal injection in 2002 Credit: Handout - Getty 5 Christopher Quarles, 71, defended 48 people on death row Credit: Supplied The mum-of-one, killed by lethal injection in 2002, brutally murdered six men after claiming she was raped while working as a prostitute. Her callous murder spree - between 1989 and 1990 - was the subject of the Wuornos was the only female client who Quarles, a public defence lawyer in Her 'Like the movie, big mothership and all. I'll be back.' Quarles recalled how he was regularly threatened by volatile Wuronos, whose mood would flip at the drop of a hat. "Aileen was a very sick girl," he told The Sun. "It was during the pendency of my representation, I would go see her on Death Row, and half the time she would thank me for doing what I was doing. 'The other half, she would accuse me of taking money under the table from the state and storm out of the interview. 'I think her diagnosis was borderline personality disorder. She perceived danger in her encounters with strange men applying her trade as a prostitute. 'Angel of Mercy' serial killer butchered OAPs weeks after release for another murder & modelled himself on Raoul Moat 'She perceived danger where maybe there was no danger, but it's a dangerous occupation, and I'm sure she got beat up and threatened on many occasions. 'You could tell she was having mental issues.' Quarles - a staunch critic of capital punishment - met Wuornos for the first time after she had already been sentenced to death. The dangerous killer was arrested in 1991 and went to trial the following year, when she was convicted and handed the death penalty. Quarles said: "Most of the time we'd just talk about the issues of the case and what I thought was going to win, and what wasn't going to win. "We didn't really get to know each other that way, we were talking law in her case. Aileen Wournos' killing spree IN November 1989, Wuornos shot dead convicted rapist Richard Mallory, 51, in what she claimed was an act of self defense. His body was found in woods several miles away from his abandoned car. Construction worker David Spears, 43, was Wuornos' next victim. He was shot six times and his naked body was found by a Florida roadside on 1 June 1990. Peter Siems, 65, was next on Wornos' hit list. The retired merchant seaman and devoted Christian was last seen alive in June 1990 when he left Florida for Arkansas. His car was discovered weeks later in Orange Springs, Florida, but his body was never discovered. Troy Burress, 50, was a sausage salesman whose body was found with two fatal bullet wounds by the road in August 1990. The most high-profile victim, 56-year-old Charles "Dick" Humphreys, was a former Chief of Police and retired US Air Force Major and child abuse investigator. His body was found in September 1990 with having been shot six times. Finally, Walter Jeno Antonio, 62, was a trucker whose half-naked body was found on a remote path in November 1990. Wuornos was arrested on an outstanding warrant in January 1991, and her girlfriend,d Tyria Moore, agreed with police to help get a confession to the murders, which she did on 16 January. She claimed all the men had tried to rape her and she was acting in self defense — but she was found guilty and executed on 9 October 2002. "She seemed mentally ill. Half the time she would thank me and half the time she would accuse me of working for the state. "There were elements of "Half the time she loved me because she thought I was representing her, and half the time she hated me because she thought I was throwing her under the bus." Death row killers As well as Wuornos, Quarles also defended Emilia Carr - at one point the youngest woman on Death Row in the US. And in 2004, he watched the execution of Johnny Robinson, convicted of the murder of Beverly St George 19 years earlier. Despite the sick crimes of his clients, he insists it hurts to see them die. "Some I was closer to than others," he added. 'Some I have developed relationships with and those hurt. Those hurt a lot. Some make me sad, I think it's not right. We shouldn't kill our citizens.' Carr was originally sentenced to death in 2010 for her role in the murder of Heather Strong, but was later resentenced to life in prison. 5 Emilia Carr was sentenced to death for her role in a murder but was later resentenced Credit: Alamy 5 Johnny Robinson was executed by lethal injection in 2004 Credit: Alamy She was just 26 years old at the time and would have faced death by lethal injection. Carr gave birth to her fourth child behind bars. They have all been placed into foster care since then. Quarles said she actually 'blossomed' while she was on Death Row. He added: 'Emilia really blossomed in prison, especially on Death Row, because she's pretty much left to her own devices. 'She started reading a lot, she was corresponding with people in Europe and she was learning a language. I'm against anybody being executed. It's not something that civilised societies do Christopher Quarles death row lawyer 'As she was mostly pregnant her whole adult life, with four kids by the age of 26, she never really had a chance to blossom. And that's what being locked up gave her. 'Her children were all dispersed into the foster care systems in the state of Florida, lost in the system forever.' He added: 'She was telling me more about how she was really enjoying life for change and who her most recent correspondent might be. 'That's what she would talk about, not death. Pen Pal programs that they have access to a lot of Europe. 'I'm against anybody being executed. It's not something that civilised societies do, but in addition to that, she was way less culpable than her co-defendant who basically got a life sentence on the first go around because he had better lawyers than she did at the trial.' Chilling final words Quarles only watched one execution after his client Robinson personally asked him to attend. Robinson was killed by lethal injection in 2004 over the murder of Beverly St George. He was on parole for a rape conviction in August 1985 when he came across St George's car in Florida after it broke down. She was abducted at gunpoint by Robinson and an accomplice and taken to a nearby cemetery, where she was raped by bother men and shot in the head. Robinson was arrested five days after for robbing four people in a disabled car and raping one of them. He requested Quarles watch him be executed - and the lawyer will never forget his final words. I guarantee this country has executed at least one, two or three innocent people over the years Christopher Quarles Quarles said: 'We were in a witness room and we didn't know what was happening. 'They escort you in and you sit there in chairs facing this panel of glass with a ratty curtain closed. "They had a tiny little speaker up in the corner of the room which provided sound between the execution chamber and where the witnesses were seated. 'And we sat there for a long time, we didn't know what was happening. We found out later that the US Supreme Court was considering whether to grant a stay or not. 'Eventually they opened the curtains and it was just surreal. "They read the death warrant and asked Johnny if he had any last words. He had told me he wasn't going to look at the witnesses. He was just going to stare at the ceiling. 'When they asked if he had any last words, he said, 'Later', and I smiled." Quarles told how Robinson's "chest heaved" as it took him up to ten minutes to die. 'The atmosphere was just surreal. I can't believe we're here doing this," he said. "We had got to know each other better, especially since I got him a new trial and I represented him during that retrial. 'So I got to see him a lot more in the days leading up to his execution.' Quarles, now retired, insisted he never felt conflicted when representing people who had committed heinous crimes. He added: 'I'm philosophically opposed to the death penalty, so I don't have a problem no matter how heinous the crime . 'There are so many reasons it's wrong. Economicall,y it makes no sense and there's evidence that this does not serve as a deterrent at all. 'There is no deterrence and it's very expensive. We get it wrong a lot. I guarantee this country has executed at least one, two or three innocent people over the years.'
