Man forced to live in shed paid £20 a day for work

A man who forced a homeless pensioner to live in a shed in his back garden, while exploiting him for labour and calling him "Scrapyard Dog", has been jailed for six and a half years.

James Dean Harrison housed the man, in his 60s, in the shed between November 2022 and February 2026 after he approached him for help when homeless.

Harrison, from Coventry, took control of the victim's bank cards and refused to return them. He took £63,000, paid through Universal Credit and pension payments, with police believing Harrison used the money to fund holidays.

Harrison pleaded guilty to requiring a person to perform forced labour and was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court on Friday.

Harrison forced the victim to work in a scrapyard, carrying out tasks including painting skips, loading and unloading them, and cleaning lorry cabs.

The 51-year-old is said to have regularly subjected him to physical and verbal abuse.

Harrison, of Shaftesbury Avenue, Keresley End, initially gave the victim £30 a day from his own account before reducing it to £20.

Police launched an investigation after a local councillor raised concerns following a meeting with the victim and his partner, helping secure emergency accommodation for them.

Det Con Chloe Hutt, of Warwickshire's Trafficking and Exploitation Team, said Harrison subjected the victim to "appalling" treatment, stripping him of "his dignity, his finances, and seriously impacting his health".

As well as the prison sentence, he was also ordered to pay £10,000 compensation under a Slavery and Trafficking Reparation Order.

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