A COURT has heard a woman’s account of being on the brink of suicide as a result of her treatment as an “unpaid slave” by her landlady.

The 60-year-old woman spoke of how she was “pinched, punched, prodded and kicked” among other forms of physical and verbal abuse while working 14-hour days for Farzana Kausar and her family.

Kausar, 58, of Adelaide Crescent, Hove, is standing trial at Lewes Crown Court for one modern slavery offence as well as one count of perverting the course of justice. She denies both charges.

The woman told the court: “She is a violent person. It’s the hurt that [Kausar] has put me through, ruling my life for god knows how long.

“I didn’t know what to do, I really didn’t. I have come that close to killing myself because it has got that bad but the reason I haven’t done it is because of those children.”

The court heard in a recording of the alleged victim’s police interview how “in 16 years [Kausar] has never given me a penny” and that “in the last nine years I’ve had no life”.

She described how she spent her time as a “servant” and was treated "like a piece of dirt" while living at multiple addresses including in Adelaide Crescent, Hove.

A jury heard multiple accounts of physical violence and verbal abuse throughout the woman’s police interview. One incident included the alleged victim having a car door slammed on her leg by Kausar as well as having her glasses broken, and being pulled across a table by her hair.

Other alleged instances of abuse include keeping the woman from her estranged family, including not informing the victim of the death of her mother.

Kausar is also accused of opening a number of bank accounts in the victim’s name as well as transferring benefits money from these into her own account.

The woman is said to have first worked for Kausar in February 2004, the alleged abuse occurring over a number of years leading up to Kausar’s arrest on May 15, 2019.

The trial continues and is expected to last a number of weeks.