A man who is alleged to have been the victim of modern day slavery admitted he had voluntarily gone to live with a family of travellers.

Cameron Biggar, 43, was an alcoholic and living on the streets of London in 2004 when he agreed to work for Johnny Moloney from St Albans.

The prosecution at St Albans Crown Court alleged that he was made to carry out unpaid block paving and building work, up to 14 hours a day, sometimes seven days a week.

It is alleged he was living in a camper van and in sheds and was taken to work in Ireland, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Norway and Sweden by Johnny Moloney.

Under cross examination by Lewis Power QC, for Johnny Moloney, Mr Biggar admitted he had 19 convictions for 47 offences, including burglary, theft, affray, and causing actual bodily harm.

When he was picked up on the Strand in June 2004 and went to St Albans, the former night porter admitted he was "down on his luck" and would only be sober for around an hour a day.

Mr Power said: "You voluntarily got in the car. No pressure or force was used." Mr Biggar agreed.

He went on: "I had the idea the people were travellers. They had Irish accents. I saw it as an opportunity not to be homeless any more."

He agreed he had been made to feel welcome when he arrived at the Moloney family home in Watford Road, St Albans.

Appearing via a video link from Kilmarnock, he said drinking was 'strictly forbidden' in 2004, but it was relaxed after the Leighton Buzzard arrests.

Twenty-six-year-old Johnny Moloney aka Murphy and his wife, 22-year-old Shanon Loveridge, who are from Watford Road, are both charged with knowingly holding a person in slavery or servitude and knowingly requiring another person to perform forced labour between April 2010 and December 2014.

Opening the case on Wednesday, prosecutor Peter Shaw alleged Mr Biggar had been kept in servitude and was required to perform forced labour from 2004, but the charges begin in 2010 when an Act of Parliament came into effect

He said he was hit on around five occasions and would be called a 'stupid bastard', 'a dosser' and an 'alcoholic.'

Mr Shaw told the jury of eight women and four men that in the summer they travelled for paving work across England, Ireland and Europe.

Johnny Moloney bought him a passport which he kept under his control.

He went on: "Whilst in the campervan he had to use a bucket as a toilet and was not allowed to use the facilities in the house itself. He would empty it after using it in a drain by the house.

Mr Shaw said between 2004 and 2011 he was never paid, but was made to clean and carry out block paving and tarmacking work. 

It was also alleged that Shanon Loveridge required him to look after two children and walk one to school. She is also said to have got him to clean her car and caravan.

The jury heard that fairly soon after being taken to St Albans the man escaped, but was allegedly tracked down by Johnny Moloney.

The man was drunk and taken to a site in Leighton Buzzard where he was put in a Portakabin and given sleeping pills. He then returned to St Albans.

The victim made a 999 call on Christmas Day 2014 and the police arrived to find him in a campervan at the back of the house in Watford Road.

The couple were arrested on 11 March 2015. They made no comment to police interviews. They have submitted written statements to the court, denying the offences.

Mr Shaw said: "Mr Moloney was clearly the man who picked him up and enforced his participation in working, initially for no money at all, and was responsible for fetching him back when he did leave the site.

"The second defendant clearly knew what was going on and was, for her own part, directly involved in the work he provided for her with cleaning the car and caravan and child-minding.

"She could not have been ignorant of what was happening and indeed was part of the domestic set up at Watford Road."

The trial continues.