Six people have been jailed for their part in trafficking a Romanian woman and forcing her to work as a prostitute in Manchester.

All six were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square on Friday.

Ioan Macicasan, 22, of no fixed abode was jailed for four and a half years.

Razvan Ion Constandache, 23, of no fixed abode was jailed for five and a half years.

Toma Ienei, 23, of no fixed abode was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Adrian Petricia Szalacsi, 26, of no fixed abode was jailed for three and a half years.

Renata Vas, 22, of no fixed abode was sentenced to two years.

Ian Strong, 37, of Astbury Walk, Stockport, was jailed for two years.

They had all pleaded guilty to trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation at an earlier hearing. Macicasan was also sentenced for section 47 assault (causing actual bodily harm) on the victim.

In addition Szalacsi was wanted on a European Arrest Warrant to serve a 10-year sentence for economic fraud in Romania.

In February 2009, the 27-year-old victim was living in Romania and working two jobs to support her child.

Constandache told the woman he could get her employment in the UK.

He invited her to England, convincing her that job prospects and earning potential were better.

The victim took a coach across Europe with Constandache and his two friends, Macicasan and Ienei

They arrived in Manchester in late February and, found accommodation with Ienei's niece Vas and her partner Szalacsi at a house they shared with Strong on Astbury Walk in Stockport.

Over the following days she was made to work as a prostitute and the money that she earned taken from her.

In March, the victim confided in a member of the public who helped her to report the circumstances to the police. The offenders were arrested a short time later.

Detective Constable Angela Bailey, based at Greater Manchester Police's Sexual Crime Unit, said the young woman believed she was coming to the UK to work hard and give her daughter a better future.

"The behaviour of the men who brought her here quickly descended into manipulation and threats of violence. They all deserve the sentences handed down today," said DC Bailey.

"Thanks to the victim's bravery and the assistance of a member of the public she was able to report her plight to the police."

She added: "It is important that all victims of sexual crimes know that if they speak out they will get the help they need."

(PR/GK)