A Christian charity in Northern Ireland has welcomed the decision to clear a Vietnamese man of all criminal charges on account of him being a victim of human trafficking.
Hung Van Nguyen (43), who had been living in Co. Tyrone, became the first person to be exonerated under NI’s Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act 2015 last week.
He stood accused of cultivating and possessing cannabis with intent to supply. His defence team argued he had only committed the offences because he was a human trafficking victim.
Mark Bailie of CARE said: “No-one should face criminal convictions for crimes they were made to commit under the intense pressure of being held captive in modern slavery.”