Durham, England - Durham Police are investigating a sex slavery sect operating in a north-eastern suburban town, whose members model their sado-masochistic relationships on a series of 1960s science fiction novels.
The bizarre cult came to light when police raided an address in Darlington after complaints that a woman was being held against her will.
But it transpired that the Canadian concerned was a willing participant and police had no grounds to act against the so-called Kaotians sect.
It is understood the 29-year-old had voluntarily attended the sect after an internet chat, but later contacted a friend in America, who then contacted police, saying she wanted to leave but couldn't as she had burned her passport.
Police helped to arrange her return home, but a spokesman said there was no criminal activity discovered and that people involved were all "consenting adults".
Officers also investigated claims by a man in Essex that his 18-year-old son had joined the quasi-medieval sect, but police spoke to the teenager and he confirmed he was at the property voluntarily and police said they again had no grounds to get involved.
The Kaotians are a splinter group of the Goreans, which according to estimates number 25,000 followers nationwide.
Both groups base their slavery and dominance beliefs on a series of novels written by John Norman, an American philosophy academic. The Chronicles of Gor depict a society, called the land of Gor, which is divided into castes, and where women are kept as slaves.
Fascination in the international sect has grown since the advent of the internet.
Lee Thompson, 31, lives at the address that was investigated, and describes himself as a master who trains slaves, and that while they must cook and clean as part of their duties, there is an element of sexual domination.
In an interview with the Northern Echo, Mr Thompson, said: "I have been called sick but I don't think what I do is bad.
"There's no reason for people to be afraid of me. I'd die before I see anyone get hurt."
Mr Thompson, who was once banned from one shop for turning up with a girl on a leash, said that as many as 350 followers regularly meet in pubs and clubs around the North East, in an area from Berwick to York.
Mr Thompson, who has been a follower for 15 years, and says he has enjoyed slave relationships with about eight girls, added: "It works on the system that some women have a desire to serve.
"Most people think it is a very sexual thing, but it is about every action that they make, they do it for their master."