Two Hawick men jailed after being convicted of Human Trafficking Offence
A court's heard how a "highly vulnerable" man living in Hawick was forced to go days without eating, and relied on emergency food handouts from the Salvation Army to survive, after two men, who encouraged him to accept a drug-related debt, used his home for the storage and supply of controlled drugs.
Jarrid and Jago Neil have both been convicted of an offence under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act and were jailed when they appeared from custody at Jedburgh Sheriff Court today (Monday).
The court heard the pair, who got a key cut for the property, assaulted their victim and threatened him with violence.
The offence took place at an address in Renwick Terrace, Hawick, between March and October 2023.
Jago, who's 28, has been sentenced to 27 months behind bars, while Jarrid, who's 33, has been jailed for three months, having already served the equivalent of 32 months on remand.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Peter Paterson described the pair's behaviour as "truly deplorable", pointing out they had exploited a highly vulnerable adult for their own personal gain.
Both men were also made subject of a five-year Human Trafficking Order which, the court heard, would limit how much money they can carry at one time and force them to reveal details of all properties they have access to.
Co-accused Nathan Dean, who previously pled guilty to a charge of being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug at addresses in Hawick and elsewhere, has been ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, after the court heard the 27-year-old was back in employment and had made significant efforts to turn his life around.
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