Trial in Andelfingen ZH Zurich couple allegedly kept women in a small cage

A married couple from the Winterthur region exploited two young women as "house slaves" and kept them in a small cage. They will have to answer for this at the Andelfingen ZH district court today, Tuesday.

The 46-year-old Swiss man from the Winterthur region has pronounced sadistic tendencies. Consensual sado-maso role-playing games with BDSM slaves were not enough for him - he wanted to completely control women, tie them up and lock them in a cage against their will. This is clear from the indictment.

By promising young women from abroad an education and a residence permit, he was once able to lure a 22-year-old Filipino woman and once a 30-year-old Brazilian woman into his house. His wife, a 32-year-old Filipino woman, helped him.

The first "house slave" was the 22-year-old, who was locked in the house from July 2018 to April 2019. According to the indictment, the accused pretended that he was organizing a residence permit for her. She could also train at the "International Maids School". She would learn a lot about gastronomy and Swiss geography. However, this school does not exist.

Zurich couple on trialYoung women kept as "house slaves" and put in cages

Handcuffed and shackled in a cage

Instead of training and a permit, the woman was given a tight schedule of housework, six days a week and on call around the clock for just 800 francs a month.

In her sparse "free time", the man locked her in a windowless cage with a floor area of just two square meters. Metal bars served as doors. There was no toilet here, just a bucket - and a surveillance camera.

He tied her up every day, except for Easter, her birthday and New Year. In addition to the hand and foot cuffs, she also had to wear a leather collar that was connected to the shackles so that she could hardly move. According to the indictment, he told her that this was a requirement of the school.

He conducted "tests" with her

He also conducted "tests" with her. If she did badly, she was punished, for example by being tied up or wearing tight gloves. If she did something well, she was rewarded with visits to restaurants or a trip to the zoo. After ten months, the young woman was finally able to escape.

In 2019, the IT project manager again recruited a "house slave", this time a 30-year-old Brazilian woman who came to Switzerland to learn German. According to the public prosecutor, he promised her "German lessons at the highest level".

Under the cover name "Gustav Wohlenweber", he sent her photos of a beautiful detached house with a pool. The 30-year-old's existence as a "slave" lasted from the end of June to mid-July 2019; she was finally freed by the police. The Filipino woman, who had previously been locked up, filed a complaint with the police.

Basically confessed

The 46-year-old has been charged with human trafficking and deprivation of liberty, among other things. Because he has basically confessed, the trial will be conducted in summary proceedings. His argument is that the women themselves agreed to the "setting" when they signed the contract.

If the court accepts the prosecution's proposal, the man will receive a partial prison sentence of 36 months, although he will only serve nine months. As "Gustav Wohlenweber" has already spent five months in custody, he will probably have to spend another four months behind bars.

He will also undergo outpatient therapy. The "landlord" has already paid the two victims a total of CHF 16,000 in compensation. His wife, who was responsible for supervising the "slaves", is also on trial.

She is to be punished with a conditional prison sentence of ten months for multiple counts of aiding and abetting the deprivation of liberty. In addition, the Philippine woman is to be expelled from the country for five years. The Andelfingen District Court will hand down its verdict on Wednesday.