A MAN who claims he was enslaved at a travellers’ site said he wants the defendant to get his ‘just deserts’.

Paul Gilding is one of two men who claim they were exploited and forced into labour by 60-year-old Michael Joyce, of Redbridge Hollow in Oxford.

Joyce, 60, denies five charges of modern slavery, which allegedly took place between April 2016 and January 2018.

The retrial at Oxford Crown Court comes after Joyce's sons John and Michael, as well as David Boiling, of Northfield Close, Littlemore, were acquitted of the same allegations in December.

Asked how he felt about that, Mr Gilding said today: "Michael junior...was just following orders.

"John should have got his just deserts, and I certainly hope Michael senior gets his just deserts.

“I would like to see justice served, I don't think people should be treated that way and get away with it."

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Mr Gilding said he spent the best part of 11 weeks building a pub at the travellers’ site, which was named in court as The Dons Bar.

Jurors heard how the pub had timber steps leading up to decked veranda, two statues flanking double doors, lights and hanging baskets outside and a fully-equipped bar inside, including wine racks and a cigarette machine.

Mr Gilding said: “The interior was pulled out from an old pub in Reading, which had shut.

“Michael Joyce purchased the interior and I subsequently fitted it into the pub.”

He claimed he would be picked up from his home in the mornings at about 8.30am, usually by Michael Joyce junior, who would take him to collect his methadone prescription.

Mr Gilding said they would then travel to Blackbird Leys and ‘score heroin’, and Joyce would pay for his £10 fix every morning.

He said he would take the heroin when they got to the site, usually in the tool shed or in a van, which would stave off his withdrawal symptoms and keep him on good working form.

Mr Gilding claimed the heroin, plus packs of weed and cigarettes, was the only payment he received from Joyce, except £20 he was paid on two half-days for clearing rubble.

He said he usually left the site at about 7pm or 8pm, getting a lift back.

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Describing how he felt arriving for his first day, he said: “I was apprehensive, nervous and suspicious, but I gave everyone a chance and wanted to earn extra money.

“I felt like I was being tested, but I felt okay.

“Michael senior would come out of his caravan and give his orders for the day.”

Mr Gilding said the pub was largely his own work, with help from David Boiling who acted as his labourer, and occasionally from John Joyce or Paul West, who is the other alleged victim in the trial.

He admitted he lied to Joyce on occasions and claimed a family member was ill, as an excuse not to work.

He said: “I considered not going back, but I was scared.”

Mr Gilding said Joyce gave him a ‘slap’ on two occasions, once when he ignored his calls and another when he answered back.

He said would get a ‘bol****ing’ if he disobeyed him and it was ‘fear’ that kept him going back.

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He alleged he gave Joyce £140 worth of his benefits per month plus £300 from his partner’s wages, as per his demands.

When Mr Gilding refused to pay Joyce any more, he said: "His reaction was absolutely nuclear.

"I feared for my safety and left my property."

Jurors saw photos of the pub from Mr Gilding's phone, including coffins he said he built for a Halloween party there.

He said: "I took photos of the jobs I had done - I was proud of the work and I enjoyed working with my hands.

"I took photos to show [my partner] what I'd been up to."

Mr Gilding's work was described in court as 'skilled labour', and he said he had worked on building sites previously.

He claimed Joyce instructed him to steal materials from BuildBase in Blackbird Leys, and only stopped when he lied to Joyce that the police were onto him.

He also said he was told to change the number plate of two vans that ‘appeared’ on site, and drive them to a location in Wood Farm.

In cross-examination, Joyce's defence barrister Paul Hynes QC said Mr Gilding was ‘prepared to lie about what happened, in order to secure a conviction.’

Mr Gilding denied this. The trial continues.