A FAMILY stole thousands of pounds of benefits from a man with severe learning disabilities while forcing him to do menial and manual labour for £5 a day, a court heard.

Nicholas Iliff had been employed by the Joyce family since the 1980s, originally being paid £20 a day by Michael Joyce, who was later imprisoned, to help him and his wife, a jury was told.

However, Rachel Drake, prosecuting, told Oxford Crown Court on Friday that after Mr Joyce was jailed, Mr Iliff became the ‘servant’ of his father Christopher Joyce, and three of his other children.

Ms Drake said that Christopher Joyce, his two daughters Mary Joyce and Helen Collins and his son Timothy Joyce Senior, would make Mr Iliff collect and clean scrap metal, paint sheds and chairs, tie Christopher Joyce’s shoelaces, sweep the site and pick up dog mess. She said: “The crown allege that these four defendants agreed that Mr Iliff would be held in servitude, held as a servant.

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“The agreement between the defendants was that Nicholas Iliff was effectively Christopher Joyce’s servant.”

Christopher Joyce, 81, Mary Joyce, 59, Joyce Senior, 44 and 44-year-old Helen Collins, all of Redbridge Hollow caravan site, deny conspiracy to hold another person in servitude and conspiracy to require another person to perform forced or compulsory labour.

Christopher Joyce and his daughters also all deny conspiracy to defraud Mr Iliff of state benefits paid to him.

Joyce Senior denies one count of assault by beating. Ms Darke said this charge relates to when officers entered Joyce Senior’s home to arrest him and he leapt from his room and threw a glass of water in a police constable’s face.

The court heard that 51-year-old Mr Iliff had a severe learning disability and had dislocated his arm six times doing labour for the Joyces and Collins.

However, Ms Drake said that despite only just being discharged from hospital, CCTV footage showed Mr Iliff painting sheds and chairs with his arm in a sling.

Ms Drake said that the crimes came to light when Mr Iliff was arrested in February, and told police he did not want to go back to the campsite.

However, Ms Drake said that despite more than a £100,000 in benefits being paid in Mr Iliff’s name since the mid-1980s, during the police interview he said he had no knowledge of it.

She added:“He had no knowledge of any bank account, he had never filled in any of the forms for benefits or any bank account.”

The jury of seven women and five men were also shown CCTV footage of Mary Joyce pushing and shouting at Mr Iliff and Christopher Joyce beating him with a broom handle.

Ms Drake said that Mr Iliff was forced to live in a shed because his trailer had been used to house the family’s dogs.

The trial continues.