If you are being investigated or prosecuted for human trafficking, you need solicitors for human trafficking who understand both the criminal law and the way trafficking cases are actually built. Woolfe & Co Solicitors are specialist criminal defence lawyers acting for people accused of human trafficking, labour exploitation, forced labour and modern slavery offences in England and Wales. Our solicitors and criminal defence lawyers handle police station interviews, bail, Magistrates' Court hearings, Crown Court trials and sentencing. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for urgent legal advice.
Solicitors for human trafficking are regulated criminal defence lawyers who represent people accused of human trafficking, forced labour, servitude and labour exploitation offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. They advise in police interviews, apply for bail, challenge the prosecution case, prepare defences at the Magistrates' Court and Crown Court, and put forward mitigation at sentence. They can also act for victims and survivors who need advice about their legal position.
Being arrested for trafficking is serious, but it is not the same as being convicted. Speak to a solicitor before you answer any questions.
Speak to a Human Trafficking SolicitorHuman trafficking is not a single offence. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 created a group of offences that sit together, and prosecutors often charge more than one of them in the same case. That is why you need solicitors who can see the whole picture rather than answering one charge at a time. Our criminal defence lawyers deal with trafficking cases every week, and we explain the law in plain English before we start building a defence.
The table below sets out the main offences, the section that creates them and the maximum penalty. It is a starting point, not legal advice, because the offence you actually face depends on the evidence and the way the prosecution has drafted the charge.
| Offence | Where It Comes From | Maximum Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Human trafficking | Section 2, Modern Slavery Act 2015 | Life imprisonment |
| Slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour | Section 1, Modern Slavery Act 2015 | Life imprisonment |
| Committing an offence with intent to commit a human trafficking offence | Section 4, Modern Slavery Act 2015 | Life imprisonment |
| Trafficking for exploitation in the UK | Section 2, where travel happens within the UK | Life imprisonment |
| Trafficking for exploitation outside the UK | Section 3, Modern Slavery Act 2015 | 14 years' imprisonment |
| Exploitation of a person aged under 18 | Section 2, combined with the child exploitation provisions | Life imprisonment |
For a trafficking charge under section 2, the prosecution must prove that you arranged or facilitated the travel of another person with a view to that person being exploited. The law is deliberately wide, which is why so many cases turn on the meaning of "arranged" or "facilitated" rather than on what physically happened. In practice, the prosecution usually has to establish the following elements.
People often use the two terms as if they mean the same thing, but they do not. Human trafficking is about movement. It is the arranging or facilitating of travel with a view to exploitation, and it can take place entirely within one country. Modern slavery is the broader label used in law and policy for slavery, servitude, forced labour, compulsory labour and trafficking together. A person can commit a trafficking offence without any slavery or forced labour actually occurring, and a person can commit slavery offences without moving anyone anywhere. Our modern slavery cases solicitors page explains the wider group of offences in more detail.
There is no single defence to a trafficking charge. The strongest cases are built from the papers, the disclosure and the reality of how investigations are run. Our lawyers start from the prosecution's evidence and work backwards.
The section 45 statutory defence is a complete defence available when a person commits an offence because they were compelled to do so as a direct result of being a victim of slavery or trafficking. If the defence succeeds, the person is not guilty at all. Since the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, it is open to adult victims as well as children, and the court must assume the person is a victim if the evidence supports it.
The defence is powerful, but it is rarely accepted at the first attempt. It has to be supported by evidence about the compulsion, the exploitation and the control exercised over the person. In our experience, the difference between the defence succeeding and failing is usually how well the background is documented. You can read how we build this kind of case on our guide to how criminal defence solicitors defend a case.
The prosecution must prove you knew or intended that the person would be exploited. Where the evidence only shows you were careless, or that someone else kept you in the dark, the charge should not stand.
Where you were threatened, controlled or in debt bondage, duress may be a full defence. These arguments overlap closely with the section 45 statutory defence.
Trafficking investigations are document heavy and often rely on phones, banking records and travel data. Errors in identification, disclosure or the way evidence was obtained can unravel a prosecution.
Not every low paid or difficult job is exploitation in law. Where the alleged conduct falls below the legal threshold, our solicitors argue that no offence is made out at all.
Organised operations involve many people. We regularly find that our client has been named by co-defendants seeking a better outcome for themselves.
Where the person you were accused of exploiting was not in fact a victim, or did not consider themselves one, the foundation of the prosecution case weakens.
In our experience, trafficking cases are won or lost long before the trial. What you say in a police interview, whether the National Referral Mechanism is engaged, and whether disclosure is properly challenged all matter enormously. If you are asked to attend an interview, speak to a solicitor first. It costs nothing at the police station, and it protects everything that follows.
Trafficking offences carry some of the highest penalties in the criminal calendar. Courts treat exploitation as an attack on the dignity of the victim, and sentences are built around that principle. The table below shows the statutory maximums, and the guidance courts apply when deciding where in the range a case sits.
| Offence | Court | Maximum Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Human trafficking (section 2) | Crown Court | Life imprisonment |
| Slavery, servitude and forced labour (section 1) | Crown Court | Life imprisonment |
| Trafficking for exploitation outside the UK (section 3) | Crown Court | 14 years' imprisonment |
| Committing an offence with intent to traffic (section 4) | Crown Court | Life imprisonment |
| Breach of a slavery and trafficking prevention order | Crown Court | 5 years' imprisonment |
A trafficking conviction can bring more than a prison sentence. Courts can make a slavery and trafficking prevention order, a slavery and trafficking risk order, or a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Ancillary orders can outlast the sentence itself, which is why our solicitors always argue them separately. Our team handles confiscation work alongside the substantive case, and you can read more on our Proceeds of Crime cases page.
If you are already serving a sentence, or you believe the sentence was too long, our solicitors can advise on appeal. Appeals against sentence must be lodged quickly, so take advice as soon as possible.
If you have been arrested, invited to an interview, or told that you are under investigation for human trafficking, the order in which you do things matters. These are the steps our solicitors recommend.
You have the right to free legal advice at the police station, and the right to have a solicitor present during an interview under caution. Nothing you say in an interview can be taken back, and innocent explanations given in a hurry are often misread later. Ask for a solicitor, and wait for us to arrive.
Trafficking cases are technical, and not every firm handles them regularly. Call us on 01582 380938 or request a callback through our contact page. We will take a full account, explain the charges you may face, and tell you what happens next.
Messages, contracts, wage records, travel documents and correspondence often contain the proof of what you did and did not know. Do not delete anything, even if it looks unhelpful, and do not discuss the case with co-defendants or on social media.
Trafficking investigations often come with strict bail conditions, including residence, reporting and passport surrender. Our solicitors will apply for bail where it is appropriate and challenge conditions that go further than they need to. Our free Legal Aid bail application solicitors handle this at both the police station and the court.
We obtain the prosecution evidence, examine disclosure, take witness statements and instruct expert evidence where it helps. If the section 45 statutory defence or duress may apply, we document the background thoroughly rather than hoping the court accepts a bare assertion.
If the case goes to the Crown Court, our solicitors instruct counsel, prepare the defence statement and support you through the trial. If you plead guilty or are convicted, we prepare detailed mitigation and argue against the harshest ancillary orders.
Legal Aid is available for police station advice in every case, and it is free. For court proceedings, eligibility depends on the interests of justice test and a means test. Because trafficking offences carry life imprisonment, the interests of justice test is usually met, and many clients qualify. Our solicitors carry out a free assessment so you know where you stand before you commit to anything. If you do not qualify, we offer clear private fees with no hidden extras.
These are the questions our solicitors are asked most often about human trafficking investigations and charges. The answers are set out in full so you can read them at a glance. If your question is not here, call our criminal defence team on 01582 380938.
Human trafficking is the arranging or facilitating of another person's travel with a view to that person being exploited. It is defined in section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The travel can take place within the UK or across a border, and the victim's consent does not matter where deception, coercion or vulnerability is involved.
Police station advice and representation is always free under Legal Aid, whatever your income. For court work, Legal Aid is available subject to the interests of justice and means tests, and because these offences carry life imprisonment, the interests of justice test is usually satisfied. If you do not qualify, our solicitors agree private fees in advance so there are no surprises.
Yes. Consent is not a defence to a trafficking charge where deception, coercion, abduction, fraud, the abuse of power, or a position of vulnerability was used or intended to be used. The prosecution must still prove the other elements of the offence, and our solicitors examine those elements closely, because many charges fail on the question of intention rather than on consent.
Section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 provides a complete defence where a person commits an offence because they were compelled to do so as a direct result of being a victim of slavery or trafficking. If the defence succeeds, the person is acquitted. Following the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, the defence is available to adults as well as children, and the court must treat a person as a victim where the evidence supports that conclusion.
Trafficking involves the movement of a person for the purpose of exploiting them, and the victim is treated as a commodity. People smuggling involves helping a person to enter a country illegally, with the person's consent and usually for a fee, and the relationship normally ends on arrival. The two are sometimes charged together, which is one reason specialist legal advice is essential.
The National Referral Mechanism is the UK system for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery. A referral can be highly relevant to a criminal case because a positive reasonable grounds decision supports the section 45 defence and may lead to a prosecution being paused or dropped. Our solicitors advise on whether a referral should be made and how to present the outcome to the court.
Yes, in practice. Trafficking offences are indictable only or triable either way depending on the section used, and because the maximum sentence is life imprisonment, the case will usually be sent to the Crown Court. If an offence under section 3 is charged, the case may start in the Magistrates' Court before being sent for trial. Our solicitors represent clients at both stages.
You should ask for a solicitor before the interview begins. Interviews under caution carry legal duties and the risk of adverse inferences under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, so how you answer matters. A solicitor can speak to the officer, obtain disclosure of the allegation, take your instructions in private, and advise whether to answer questions or stay silent.
It happens, but the law recognises that victims should not be punished for offences they were compelled to commit. The section 45 statutory defence, the Crown Prosecution Service guidance on victims of modern slavery, and the National Referral Mechanism all exist to prevent that outcome. Our solicitors are experienced in identifying these cases early and putting the evidence before the court.
Sentencing depends on the number of victims, the level of control and harm, financial gain, your role, and your personal mitigation. A limited, coerced or peripheral role with strong mitigation can result in a far shorter sentence than the maximum, including in some cases a suspended sentence or a community order. Our solicitors prepare mitigation in detail and argue the sentencing guidelines point by point.
Yes. Our solicitors represent clients in police custody and in prison, and we can attend custody suites, Magistrates' Courts and Crown Courts across England and Wales. We also apply for bail where appropriate. If you are currently detained, ask the custody staff to contact us on 01582 380938.
Because trafficking prosecutions are long, document heavy and often built on the accounts of co-defendants who have their own reasons to shift blame. Our solicitors and criminal defence lawyers are specialists, not general practitioners. We defend modern slavery and exploitation cases alongside the offences that usually accompany them, including money laundering, confiscation and extradition, so your defence is joined up. We are available 24/7 and we explain everything in plain English.
Trafficking cases are among the most complex prosecutions in the criminal courts. They combine international evidence, vulnerable witnesses, financial investigation and very serious sentences. You need a team that has seen it before.
Solicitors who defend modern slavery and exploitation cases routinely, not a general practice firm dealing with trafficking as a side issue.
Arrests and search operations rarely wait for office hours. Our solicitors respond quickly, including evenings and weekends.
We read the disclosure, the phone data and the financial evidence line by line, because trafficking prosecutions are often weakest on intent.
Honest guidance on Legal Aid and private funding, so you understand the cost and your options before the first hearing.
If you have been arrested, invited to an interview, or told that you are under investigation for human trafficking, do not face it alone. Our criminal defence solicitors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can advise you before you say anything at all. One call now can protect the rest of your case.
Free legal advice at the police station. Legal Aid available for court proceedings. Woolfe and Co Solicitors Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.