THE FAMILY of Christopher Nicholls whose remains were found near the Connors owned Beggar's Roost caravan site in 2008 have spoken of their anguish.
The day after all five of the Connors family were convicted of forcing men to work for them for a pittance, Christopher's parents have spoken to The Times newspaper.
Christopher was the forgotten man as the three month trial into forced labour came to a close amidst courtroom chaos as the guilty verdicts were passed.
An inquest into his death is yet to be completed. His father and step-mother suspect he was trying to escape from the Connors when he was run over, suffering a fractured skull and pelvis and bleeding on the brain.
According to the Nicholls family, Christopher was treated at Bristol Frenchay Hospital before returning to the Connors, who they say took him to a solicitors to try and win compensation.
When he was no longer considered of use by the family, they have told The Times they suspect he was discarded by the Connors.
Christopher was found dead, curled up under a tarpaulin in a shed in May, 2008.
His family were shown a photo from when Christopher was picked up by police for begging in Cheltenham, years before his remains were found.
They struggled to recognise their son, a father of two.
"When I first looked at it, I thought, that can't be him. I was stunned into silence," said Mr Nicholls.
"He looked like something from Belsen," added his wife.
"Just skin and bone. His teeth were all a mess, he had aged 30 years."
Christopher, who grew up in Bath, went missing in March 2002 after failing to turn up for a family party.
The relationship with the mother of his two children had broken down, and he had lost his own mother to cancer and younger brother in an accident.
He reappeared six months later to tell his father he had been offered work from a woman and was prepared to make a new start.
That woman was Breda Connors, said Christopher's father.
The family say Christopher was "a kind and gentle man" whose trusting nature and fragile emotional state made him vulnerable to the kind of exploitation the Connors specialised in.
DNA evidence from a tooth discovered by police led them to the Nicholls family. Their own investigations into their son's disappearance led them to Beggar's Roost, Staverton.
They found someone there had been claiming benefits on behalf of Christopher, months after he was supposed to have died in 2005.
There is no suggestion the Connors were directly responsible for the death of Christopher Nicholls.
The Connors family will appear at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday for sentencing.
Prosecuting QC Christopher Quinlan has called on six key factors to be considered. The charge of conspiracy to require a person to perform forced or compulsory labour carries a maximum penalty of 14 years.
Although the legislation of which the family were convicted was only introduced in 2010, he is calling on the decades of criminal activity to have taken place before then to be considered.
He has also urged His Honour Judge Michael Longman to consider the number of men involved, some 37, the constant threat of violence held over the workers, the vulnerability of the men and the vast sums of money generated by the Connors.
At least £500,000 has been recovered from family bank accounts and they have amassed land and property worth in excess of £1m.
The day after all five of the Connors family were convicted of forcing men to work for them for a pittance, Christopher's parents have spoken to The Times newspaper.
Christopher was the forgotten man as the three month trial into forced labour came to a close amidst courtroom chaos as the guilty verdicts were passed.
An inquest into his death is yet to be completed. His father and step-mother suspect he was trying to escape from the Connors when he was run over, suffering a fractured skull and pelvis and bleeding on the brain.
According to the Nicholls family, Christopher was treated at Bristol Frenchay Hospital before returning to the Connors, who they say took him to a solicitors to try and win compensation.
When he was no longer considered of use by the family, they have told The Times they suspect he was discarded by the Connors.
Christopher was found dead, curled up under a tarpaulin in a shed in May, 2008.
His family were shown a photo from when Christopher was picked up by police for begging in Cheltenham, years before his remains were found.
They struggled to recognise their son, a father of two.
"When I first looked at it, I thought, that can't be him. I was stunned into silence," said Mr Nicholls.
"He looked like something from Belsen," added his wife.
"Just skin and bone. His teeth were all a mess, he had aged 30 years."
Christopher, who grew up in Bath, went missing in March 2002 after failing to turn up for a family party.
The relationship with the mother of his two children had broken down, and he had lost his own mother to cancer and younger brother in an accident.
He reappeared six months later to tell his father he had been offered work from a woman and was prepared to make a new start.
That woman was Breda Connors, said Christopher's father.
The family say Christopher was "a kind and gentle man" whose trusting nature and fragile emotional state made him vulnerable to the kind of exploitation the Connors specialised in.
DNA evidence from a tooth discovered by police led them to the Nicholls family. Their own investigations into their son's disappearance led them to Beggar's Roost, Staverton.
They found someone there had been claiming benefits on behalf of Christopher, months after he was supposed to have died in 2005.
There is no suggestion the Connors were directly responsible for the death of Christopher Nicholls.
The Connors family will appear at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday for sentencing.
Prosecuting QC Christopher Quinlan has called on six key factors to be considered. The charge of conspiracy to require a person to perform forced or compulsory labour carries a maximum penalty of 14 years.
Although the legislation of which the family were convicted was only introduced in 2010, he is calling on the decades of criminal activity to have taken place before then to be considered.
He has also urged His Honour Judge Michael Longman to consider the number of men involved, some 37, the constant threat of violence held over the workers, the vulnerability of the men and the vast sums of money generated by the Connors.
At least £500,000 has been recovered from family bank accounts and they have amassed land and property worth in excess of £1m.