Third brother jailed in McDonald's slavery case

A Czech couple have been jailed for their parts in a criminal network that trafficked vulnerable men into the UK and forced them to work at a branch of McDonald's in Cambridgeshire.

Jan Drevenak, and his partner Monika Olahova, were found guilty of arranging transport for exploitation and holding a person in slavery, after a trial at Luton Crown Court.

They were sentenced to eight years and six-and-a-half years in prison respectively on Thursday and would be deported when released from custody, a judge said.

It was the last of three trials linked to the family-run operation. The defendant's brothers, Ernest and Zdenek Drevenak, were jailed in 2024.

The jury heard Jan Drevenak, 39, befriended a man in Karlovy Vary, about 80 miles (129km) west of Prague, who had recently lost his job, and enticed him to the UK early in 2018 with the promise of a better future.

Upon arrival, the man's ID card and passport were taken, and he moved into the defendant's home in Bedford, where he slept on a blow-up mattress.

He was found a job at McDonald's in Caxton by another member of the gang, Veronika Bubencikova, who completed the online entry tests and interpreted during his interview.

The man told the court Drevenak drove him to and from the restaurant, where he worked 12-hour shifts, six days a week, but was unreliable and on occasions left him there overnight.

From March to October 2018, he earned £12,000 in wages from McDonald's, but they were paid in Olahova's bank account, and he was given only £90.

Drevenak told the victim that his salary was being used to pay back a debt for the costs of transport, food and accommodation.

The man said he was refused bread by Olahova and usually only given soup to eat, though she would send him to collect shopping for her, and scrutinise the receipts.

Eventually the victim moved to live with Drevenak's brother, Ernest, the ringleader of the modern slavery operation, who paid the defendant £1,000 after the exchange and continued to exploit him.

Over four years, Ernest Drevenak and his partner Veronika Bubencikova put a total of six men to work at the Caxton McDonald's, and spent their wages on cars, jewellery and holidays.

Sentencing Jan Drevenak and Monika Olahova, Judge Geoffrey Payne said their actions were disgraceful.

"Human beings have an inherent dignity and worth," he said.

"Both of you over 10 months robbed [the victim] of that, and by your behaviour brought him very low indeed.

"You treated him as your property and even accepted money in compensation when he left you to be exploited elsewhere.

"At trial you missed no opportunity to smear his character. Neither of you have shown any remorse whatsoever."

Det Sgt Nick Webber, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: "This case once again emphasises that sadly modern slavery can happen anywhere.

"The victim was sold a dream of a fresh start in the UK, but it turned into a nightmare as he was forced to work long shifts for virtually no pay.

"We have worked closely with McDonald's during this investigation, which has put measures in place to prevent these offences happening again and have provided significant support in relocating the victims."

A McDonald's spokesperson said: "When the case came to light, together with our franchisees, we strengthened the ability of our people and systems to detect and deter potential risks, such as shared bank accounts, excessive working hours, and reviewing the use of interpreters in interviews.

"We care deeply about the welfare of every single one of the 159,000 people working at McDonald's and franchisee owned restaurants across the UK and Ireland. With our franchisees, we will continue to play our part alongside government, NGOs and wider society to help combat the evils of modern slavery."

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