slave by Irish travellers, UK.
Darrell Simester, now 43, disappeared after arguing with friends on a
holiday in Wales in August 2000.
His desperate parents Tony, 66, and Jean, 61, contacted the police
around 50 times but were never able to locate their son.
But after years of searching, they have finally tracked him down in a
remote farm in south Wales following an anonymous tip-off.
They found Darrell living in a filthy caravan in a farmyard with no
running water. He was starving, wearing dirty, torn clothes and had
teeth missing.
"Darrell is settling down to a peaceful family life, something he has
missed outon in the last thirteen years," - Darrell's mother says.
Now reunited with his family in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, Darrell
has a host of medical problems caused by his poor treatment over the
past 13 years.
He had been treated like a slave by his masters, who lured him in by
offering him a job.
He claimed he was forced to work 12 hours a day and was never given a
day off or allowed to visit a doctor, but his fear of repercussions
stopped him from running away.
"I never had one day off in 13 years. I was scared what they'd do to
me if I didn't stay there."
He described how he had been forced to sleep in a rat-filled shed at
the farm before being moved into the caravan two years ago, but still
had to shower using water from a horse trough.
His father described his son's treatment as "inhumane and horrendous".
He added: "These type of people roam the streets picking up the
vulnerable and offering them a new life. Then theyare treated like
dogs."
Darrell had managed to call his parents every six months for the first
eight yearsto let them know he was alive, but was too terrified to
tell them where he was.
Once he implied he was in Ireland but they had no luck finding him
there. Then when the calls stopped in 2008 they feared the worst had
happened. Mrs Simester set up a Facebook group to help find her son,
which had up to 9,000 members at a time helping with the search.
In February Mr and Mrs Simester put out an appeal in a Welsh local
paper after receiving information through the group that one of the
calls their son had made could have originated in Cardiff.
The next day they received a call from an anonymous person who said
they were 95 per cent sure they had seen Darrell at the farm, near
Cardiff. Mr andMrs Simester and their youngest son Duncan travelled to
the site with police where they found their son.
Mrs Simester said: "Not having heard from him for four years you're
thinking the worst. When the phone calls stopped... What can I say?
This day has made my life.'"
Later the family posted a statement on their Facebook group saying:
"We will share our good news..We have our son Darrell back home..So
this has been the greatest day of our lives.
Please respect our privacy for the next few days we have to let him
recover. Many thanks for all your good wishes over the years and not
giving up.
You are wonderful people and I feel that I know you all. From the
bottom ofmy heart a very big thank you!"
The family said Darrell had been to the hospital several times since
he came home and had undergone an operation.
His father said his problems were "all down to the conditions he has
been subjected to over the last 13 years", buthis mother confirmed he
was "getting stronger and coping very well".
In a message on Facebook, she said: "Darrell is settling down to a
peaceful family life, something he has missed outon in the last
thirteen years... his health is our priority and each ailment is
beingdealt with even though it seems to takeages to get anything done
for him... he at last sleeps in a proper bed with bed linen and proper
washing facilities, clean clothes, all of which he has not had.'"
She said he was slowly being reunited with members of the extended
family - including nieces and nephews he had never met - as he felt
ready to.
Mrs Simester added: "I have shown him the Missing Darrell Simester
page and he couldn't believe that so many peoplehave been involved.
Thank you to everyone that has supported our family in finding
Darrell, without your help, the appeal in the (South Wales) Echo and
the One Person who telephoned me with where Darrell was, we still
would not have him home.
You are all forever in our hearts and thoughts God Bless you all.
Gwent Police said investigations were ongoing into the conditions in
which Mr Simester was living and working during the time he was not in
contact with his family to establish whether any offenceswere
committed."
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