A modern salve was finally saved from serious torture after he was forced to work as many as 20 hours a day and beaten while at work.

This is the shocking moment a slave was saved by cops after being forced to work 20 hours a day making greeting cards in a squalid loft.

Harrowing footage shows the Polish man cowering under a workman's jacket after he was locked up by cruel Edward Zielinski.

The 42-year-old has been caged for 40 months after he admitted two charges of human trafficking at Nottingham Crown Court.

The court heard how Zielinski exploited two men between May 21, 2013, and June 1 this year by making them slaves.

He would lock them in the loft and night and forced them to urinate into plastic bottles so they wouldn't wake him and his wife as they slept below.

The thug also beat one of his victims with a wooden plank and only paid him with cigarettes and alcohol - despite earning around £300 a working in agency jobs.

The first victim came to the UK in 2008 but ran up debts of up to £800 with Zielinski's cousin for the cost of a new passport and other bills.

He was sent to Nottingham to work for Zielinski to pay off the debt but was forced to work 20-hour days making greeting cards with only limited breaks.

The victim was often threatened with violence and battered if Zielinski didn't think he was working hard enough.

In 2015, he moved with Zielinski to another address and started working for employment agencies but the thug opened up a bank account in his name and banned him from having access.


The victim twice tried to escape but was forced to return to Zielinski who tracked him down through his employers.

But after being beaten with a plank of wood last January, he managed to escape and lived on the streets before ending up in a detention centre in Gatwick.

Months later, Nottinghamshire Police's modern slavery team was made aware of the man and he exposed the full horror of Zielinski's crimes.

When police raided Zielinski's home on May 31 this year, they found a second man in the loft, using a jacket as a blanket.

Both victims are now with the Salvation Army receiving support.

Detective Sergeant Mike Ebbins, who led the investigation, said: "The first victim was made to work up to 20 hours a day from 8am to 4am with only limited breaks earning only £10 a week for his efforts.

"The other victim was the cash cow for Zielinski so was allowed access to a bedroom and avoided being assaulted.

"But in both cases Zielinski exploited them for his own financial interests.

"He saw an opportunity to make money out of vulnerable Polish men.

"They were incredibly vulnerable people - unemployed, alcohol dependent, and couldn't speak a word of English - so they were seen as perfect victims.

"A lot of hard work has been put in by the human trafficking team and it is great news that he has pleaded guilty because it means his victims haven't had to face him at trial.

"The victims should be applauded for coming forward. Hopefully it will give other victims out there confidence in Nottinghamshire Police to get a result for them."