Four people have been convicted of coercing a trafficked Slovak woman into a sham marriage after weeks of sexual abuse.

Muhammed Badar Ul Islam, 32, from Walthamstow was convicted yesterday along with Tibor Suchy, 28, and Viktoria Sanova, 27, both of Abbey Road, Gravesend and Rene Sana, 30, also of Gravesend. 

Mr Badar Ul Islam was found guilty of rape and trafficking within the UK but not trafficking into the UK.

Mr Sana and Miss Sanova were found guilty yesterday of conspiracy to break UK immigration laws and Mr Suchy pleaded guilty on October 21 to conspiracy to breaking UK immigration laws.

Mr Suchy arranged for the victim to be introduced and married to Mr Badar Ul Islam who wished to legitimise his stay within the UK as his student visa had expired.

The victim was a 26-year-old Slovak woman who was unemployed in Slovakia and looking for work, when two men allegedly approached her in a shopping centre and asked if she would go to England to marry an Indian man in exchange for a better life.

They persuaded her to come with them and kept her in a flat for two weeks, before she was driven by another man through Europe before entering the UK on February 26.

She was then driven to an address in Abbey Road, Gravesend, where she was introduced to Mr Suchy and his wife Miss Sanova, before being sold.

On March 13 Mr Suchy drove the victim to Stratford where Mr Badar Ul Islam paid for her in cash. 

The investigation later established the victim was sold for a total of £4,500.

Mr Badar Ul Islam took the victim back to his Walthamstow home for six days where he raped her, before she was taken to hospital by ambulance due to an injury as a result of the rape.

Hospital staff became concerned for her wellbeing and contacted police, leading to Mr Badar Ul Islam’s arrest on March 24 as he attempted to board a plan to Pakistan from Heathrow Airport.

Mr Suchy, Mr Sana and Miss Sanova were arrested on May 1 after the victim identified the address she was taken to in Gravesend.

Slovak passports were later found hidden in the hollow of a hi-fi speaker along with photocopies of Slovak ID cards and travel invoices for Slovak women.

Detective Constable McCormack, of the Human Trafficking Unit, said: "This has been a difficult and sensitive investigation into an horrific ordeal suffered by the victim.

"Human trafficking has a huge mental and physical effect on the victims and the affects can last many years.

"The Human Trafficking Unit remain determined to bring to justice those offenders who feel it is acceptable to trade in other human beings' lives.

"This investigation has involved investigations both here in the UK and in Slovakia and police will continue to target organised crime groups to stop this abhorrent crime."

All four defendants will be sentenced on December 19 at Woolwich Crown Court.

Road names were withheld for Mr Badar Ul Islam and Mr Sana.