Join us
Membership

Search

Help us reach our campaign target: Become a member
The Bristol Cable

Update: Loprestis’ ‘No plea’ in slavery case

Ice cream bosses face will face Crown Court next month

City
Adam Cantwell-Corn Alon Aviram
Adam Cantwell-Corn and Alon Aviram

Ice cream bosses will face Crown Court next month

Photos: Rowan Quarry

Two bosses from prominent local business, Lopresti Ice Cream, appeared at an initial hearing regarding slavery charges at Bristol Magistrates Court today, 4 October.

Mr Robert Lopresti, 45, of Long Ashton (pictured above right) and Salvatore Lopresti, 74, also of Long Ashton (pictured above left) faced charges of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour contrary to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 between January 2009 and December 2016 at the premises of Lopresti Ice Cream at 70 Bedminster Parade, Bedminster.

Mr Salvatore Lopresti is also charged with assault on a person thereby occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH).

The Loprestis’ solicitor entered a ‘no plea’ on behalf of the defendants.

The case has been referred to Bristol Crown Court and will commence on 2 November 2018.

The Bristol Cable will continue to cover this case.

If you would like to confidentially share any information please contact content@thebristolcable.org.

Read more on: crime, modern slavery, workers rights

We’re facing an uncertain future. Your support will help us keep going

Join us

Comments

Report a comment. Comments are moderated according to our Comment Policy.

Post a comment

Mark if this comment is from the author of the article

By posting a comment you agree to our Comment Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related content

This Better Work

Will AI free us from drudgery – or reduce us to robots?

Artificial intelligence already helps employers treat workers like robots – and the fear is that it could also take their jobs. Its huge potential benefits will only be shared if unions get to have their say.

Adam Cantwell-Corn
Adam Cantwell-Corn

Features

‘The pressure is driving people out’: nursery workers warn government childcare reforms will backfire

The government has promised to expand free childcare, and confirmed it will relax permitted ratios of nursery workers to children. But staff around Bristol say nurseries won't survive these changes without a major funding boost.

Alex Turner
Alex Turner

This Better Work

How can workers turn strikes into wins?

As the cost of living crisis bites, recent months have seen the return of mass strikes. While the cards are stacked against workers, they have won important victories – how have these been achieved, and how can we build on them?

Josh Connor

This Better Work

Why we need industrial correspondents

Strikes are back, but the industrial reporters have pretty much vanished. I sit down with industrial correspondents, past and present, to find out about life on the beat, and why reviving this coverage matters.

Priyanka Raval
Priyanka Raval

Reports

‘The way the NHS is managed is breaking workers’. Bristol nurses take historic strike action

Meet two critical care nurses from the picket line at the BRI in historic NHS strike action.

Priyanka Raval
Priyanka Raval

Reports

Image of a masked nurse in a hospital operating room (credit: Royal College of Nursing)

As nurses vote for historic industrial action, is Bristol facing a winter of strikes? 

Nurses have voted for a national strike over pay for the first time ever, joining Bristol workers across multiple industries pushing for better pay and conditions as the UK goes from the cost of living crisis into recession.

Alex King
Alex King
Join our newsletter

Get the essential stories you won’t find anywhere else

Subscribe to the Cable newsletter to get our weekly round-up direct to your inbox every Saturday

Join our newsletter

Subscribe to the Cable newsletter

Get our latest stories & essential Bristol news
sent to your inbox every Saturday morning