Illegal Scottish gangmaster gets community service
Rimantas Sulcas, of Hillview, Brechin, had pleaded guilty to the offence of acting as a gangmaster without a licence at an earlier hearing at Stonehaven Sheriff Court.
He was yesterday handed a Community Payback Order for 180 hours to be completed within a nine months period, or face being brought back to court and re-sentenced.
Offences over more than two years
The 40-year-old’s offences took place over a period of more than two years starting in 2010 and involved providing workers for agricultural work at farms in Aberdeenshire and Angus.
Under the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act, it is a legal requirement that anyone who provides workers for roles in agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering or any associated processing or packaging requires a licence.
Sulcas began his illegal operations while working at Sootywells Farm, in Laurencekirk, in 2010, when he was asked if he knew of anyone else that might be able to assist in the grading process.
It was then that he started to supply workers, which increased to as many as 16 people, who helped with the potato harvest.
No licence
Sulcas had no licence from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and paid his employees at a rate that was below the legal UK minimum wage.
He also supplied workers to Mains of Logie Farm, in Logie by Montrose, another worker to Dendoldrum Farm and more labour to Jacobsen, at Grange of Kineff, in Inverbervie.
Workers were paid in cash. No attempt was made by Sulcas to register as an employer with Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs and pay the relevant tax and National Insurance contributions on behalf of his workers.
The court was also told that despite several attempts to speak to him in connection with the offence, Sulcas had not been prepared to be interviewed in relation to it.
