A woman has been found guilty of modern slavery offences after subjecting a 74-year-old woman with learning difficulties to almost five years of mistreatment.
Maria Miller, 64, from Chingford, was found guilty of two counts of holding another in slavery or servitude and one count of theft at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday.
She forced her victim to sleep in an outhouse and to go for days without any meals.
The court heard that Miller met the victim while working for an animal charity and quickly befriended her. In 2012, she persuaded her to move into her home.
As well as taking control of the victim’s bank account and becoming the executor and sole trustee in her will, Miller made her carry out tasks such as weeding the garden or clearing out animal shelters in exchange for meals or being allowed back inside the house. This meant she was often left outside working until late at night.
She also subjected her to several assaults and forced her to go days without giving her any meals, leading to the victim losing a significant amount of weight.
Miller also refused to allow her access to a mobile phone, money or any access to her own pension.
On June 14, 2016, the victim managed to run away from the address and reported the abuse to police, who began an investigation.
Miller was arrested a month later and released on bail, before being charged in November 2018.
Detective sergeant James Earle, who led the investigation, said he was very pleased the long investigation brought about justice for the victim.
“Miller targeted one of society’s most vulnerable with the motivation of financial gain, and in doing so treated her with an appalling level of inhumaneness,” he said.
“The result will never be able to bring back almost five years of the victim’s life, during which she had her independence and liberty taken away from her and lived in almost constant fear, with no say about what she did, whether she worked, where she went, where she slept or what or whether she ate. However, I hope she is able to find closure as a result.”
He described the victim as an “incredibly strong woman who has shown amazing bravery and resilience” in coming forward to police and going through the difficult process of reliving her traumatic experiences in the court room.
He added she is now thriving in her new found freedom and independence.
Earle said he hopes the case will send out a message that such treatment of the vulnerable will not be tolerated.
He added: “I would also like to put on record my thanks for those from our partner agencies who assisted in the investigation and were integral in bringing Miller to justice.”
Miller was found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent at the same trial. She will be sentenced on July 30.