Women 'forced to eat snakes in black magic ritual to make them work as prostitutes'

A jury at Cardiff Crown Court was told the women from Nigeria were also shaved as part of a ritualistic ceremony designed to frighten them into secrecy.Lizzy Felis, also known as Lizzy Idahosa, 24, denies a total of seven charges relating to trafficking two women into and around the UK, inciting them to become prostitutes and transferring criminal property.Her partner Jackson Omoruyi, 41, denies three charges of inciting the women to become prostitutes and transferring criminal property.Opening the trial prosecutor Caroline Rees said police had arrested a 23-year-old Nigerian woman at the Ambassador Suite brothel in City Road, Cardiff, in June 2013.The woman told them she had been living rough in Nigeria after her mother died and had wanted to travel to the UK to find her father.She had met a woman, who claimed to be Idahosa’s sister, who promised to make arrangements for her to travel to London.As part of the agreement she attended a “juju ceremony” where she had her head shaved and was forced to eat a snail, a raw egg and some dust.She was told that if she broke her oath of secrecy she would become ill, or go mad or infertile.Ms Rees said: “She genuinely believed the powers would work.”The court heard she then had her photograph taken with a man who posed as her husband and was given fake travel documents. She managed to pass through immigration at Heathrow and was taken to Kings Cross.Ms Rees said: “She did not know what was expected of her. She was taken to a premises full of women dressed in their underwear. There was no explanation as to what was going on but it soon became clear.”The prosecution allege that Idahosa, of Dressington Avenue in London, told the woman she would have to pay £50,000 in exchange for her travel to the UK.She started to work as a prostitute and was forced to have sexual intercourse with seven or eight men every day.She worked in East Croydon, Brighton, Stevenage and Swansea before being moved to Cardiff. The woman estimated that she had paid £45,550 to Idahosa in total.(mirror.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az