Brixton slavery case: suspected cult leader Aravindan Balakrishnan is charged

Aravindan Balakrishnan, who is suspected of running a Maoist cult in south London, will appear in court after being charged with a string of sexual offences

The Telegraph, UK/December 11, 2014

By Martin Evans

Aravindan Balakrishnan, the alleged leader of a Maoist cult in south London, has been charged in connection with suspected domestic slavery and sexual offences.

The 73-year-old, who was arrested last November was charged after a lengthy police investigation into allegations that he held a number of women against their will at a house in Brixton.

The Metropolitan Police said he had been charged with one count of cruelty to a person under 16 years; one count of false imprisonment; 19 counts of indecent assault and four counts of rape. The alleged offences relate to three women.

He will appear in court on Wednesday.

Anthony Connell, senior prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service said, “The CPS has today authorised the police to charge Aravindan Balakrishnan with a number of charges including false imprisonment, cruelty to a person under 16 years, indecent assault and rape.

“After careful consideration we have decided that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest.

“Aravindan Balakrishnan will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday 17 December 2014.

“A decision of no further action has also been made in relation to a second individual, a woman arrested on 21 November 2013, as there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction."

Mr Balakrishnan and his wife, Chanda Pattni, 67, were arrested in November 2013 on suspicion of holidng three people as "slaves" within a Marxist cult for more than 30-years.

Mrs Pattni was subsequently released without charge, but Mr Balakrishnan was re-arrested on susupicon of sexual offences.

It was alleged that a 69-year-old woman from Malaysia, a 57-year-old from Ireland and a 30-year-old Briton had been forced into domestic servitude by the couple after joining their extreme left wing cult.

At the time of the arrests the police said the group would have appeared to the outside world to be a normal family, but detectives moved in after one of the women decided to report her ordeal to a charity that helps people in slavery.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s human trafficking unit said at the time that the case was “completely unique” in their experience.

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