London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Aug 05, 2026

Two children sexually assaulted at London migrant hotel

Two children sexually assaulted at London migrant hotel

A child and a teenager have been sexually assaulted at a hotel used to house asylum seekers in London.

The Metropolitan Police has been investigating the separate incidents, which took place in the past two months at the hotel in Waltham Forest.

The hotel, which has not been named on safety grounds, holds about 450 migrants, including some 150 children.

The Home Office said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation."

Local MP Stella Creasy has called for Home Secretary Suella Braverman to resign over the issue.

The Met Police said a 17 year-old boy had been charged with one count of sexual touching of a child under 13, and is set to appear at Stratford Magistrates' Court on 9 November.

A Met spokesperson said: "The charge relates to an incident at a hotel in Waltham Forest on 9 September." They added the child was being supported by specialist officers.


More alleged incidents


The force added that in the second incident, officers were called to a report of a rape of a teenage boy at the same hotel on 5 October, and a man in his thirties was arrested at the scene.

"He was bailed to return on a date in early January 2023," the spokesperson said.

"Officers attended and spoke to the victim, a boy in his teens, and his family. Specialist support is being provided."

Ms Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, said Ms Braverman should resign for failing to address numerous reports of incidents involving children.

She told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme: "I am aware that they are not the only incidents at these hotels involving young children and sexual assault.

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy says "the Home Office are aware" of numerous further alleged incidents


"This has been going on for months. The Home Office are aware of it. Nothing is changing in terms of the safeguarding of these children," she said.

"My own local authority has had to step in and train the people at the hotel about safeguarding. They have been repeatedly raising concerns.

"The home secretary has a direct duty of care towards these children," Ms Creasy continued.

"I am very clear that she is completely unfit for office and must resign because when children are being sexually assaulted on her watch, and her response is to say that she's been on Trivago looking at the cost of the hotels, it demeans us all."


Single men


Waltham Forest council leader Grace Williams has also written to the Home Office saying she has "major concerns" about the "lack of safeguarding" at the hotel.

In a statement, Ms Williams said: "These two very serious sexual attacks against children illustrate that these hotels are not safe places for young people.

"These are vulnerable children, often moved thousands of miles and placed in cramped hotels for months on end without adequate support in place."

Waltham Forest Council's leader has criticised the government, saying it "needs to stop putting children and vulnerable people at risk"


"Councils are doing all they can to protect these people, with little or no warning of large numbers of asylum seekers placed in their areas," she said.

"The government needs to stop putting children and vulnerable people at risk."

Ms Williams added the local authority was "concerned that there is no risk assessment of the accommodation, and believes single men should be housed separately from families with children".

A Home Office spokesperson said in response: "It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation.

"We work around the clock with the police and local authorities to ensure the children in our care are safe."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
Met Police Investigated Journalist Who Questioned Cambridge Professor
Badenoch Defends Tory Candidate Jailed for Antisemitic Abuse of Luciana Berger
NHS Spends £240m a Year Storing Paper Records Despite Digital Push
Apple Seeks Court Order to Stop OpenAI Using Alleged Trade Secrets
Breaking With the Past: One of the World’s Smallest Countries Changes Its Name
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Comcast: Tied to a Chair and Hit in the Face With Cake: The Regular Humiliation Ritual at the US Corporate Giant
Aston Martin Faces Legal Threat Over £550m Rescue Deal
Reform UK Wants the Royal Navy to Return Channel Boats to France
US and Japan Step In to Support the Yen in Rare Joint Intervention
The AI Pricing Problem: Companies Cannot Predict Their Own Bills
Europe’s Heat and Drought Are Now Disrupting Power, Shipping and Tourism
Apple’s OpenAI Lawsuit Becomes a Public Fight Over AI Hardware
UK Man Jailed After Keeping His Mother’s Body in a Freezer and Claiming £78,000
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon — and Scientists Hope to Watch
World War II munitions discovered after wildfires in southern France
BP profits reach four-year high amid Middle East conflict
Europe’s Drying Rivers Trigger Power Cuts, Factory Shutdowns and Wildfire Emergencies
UK Driver Sentenced to Four Years for Staged Electric Vehicle Brake Failure Fraud
Conservative Party and Reform UK Face Scrutiny During Clacton By-Election Campaign
Ministry of Justice Reviews Early Release Rules After Public Anger Over Police Killer Cases
NHS Radiographers Report Rising Racist Abuse From Patients Across UK Hospitals
UK Banking Regulators Face Pressure After Customer Loses Fourteen Thousand Pounds in AI Voice Scam
Research Challenges Treasury Control Over UK Public Spending and Calls for Greater Local Decision-Making
Home Office Begins Four-Week Weapons Surrender Campaign Across Major English Cities
Southern England Records Driest July in Nearly Two Centuries as Drought Concerns Grow
Apple Challenges UK Government Request for Access to Encrypted User Data in Legal Fight
BP Reports Sharp Profit Increase as Middle East Conflict Drives Global Oil Prices Higher
Nigel Farage Expresses Openness to Potential Alliance with Restore Britain
AstraZeneca Merger Talks Reflect Intensifying Pharmaceutical Consolidation
University Merger May Set Template for Higher Education Reform
Apple's Legal Challenge Highlights Growing Tension Over Encryption and Surveillance
Prime Minister Andy Burnham's Agenda Signals Shift Toward Greater Regional Devolution
Mental Health Trust Faces Criticism Over Planned £25 Million Budget Cuts
Scientists and Cultural Leaders Call for Funding to Save Jodrell Bank Observatory
UK Manufacturing Output Reaches Highest Level in Nearly Two Years
University of Greenwich and University of Kent Complete Landmark Merger
Nigel Farage Unveils Naval Border Proposal Amid Questions Over £5 Million Donation
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Tougher Action on Small Boat Crossings
Apple Challenges UK Government Over Encrypted Data Access Demands
AstraZeneca Shares Fall After Reports of $400 Billion Bristol Myers Squibb Merger Talks
Triple Lock Lifts UK State Pension but Leaves a Wider Retirement Gap
Danube Drought Forces Hungary’s Paks Nuclear Plant Into Full Shutdown
Ceuta Death Toll Rises as Spain and Europe Clash Over Border Response
Cuba’s Grid Fails Again as Fuel Crisis Deepens
Nazca Lines Flight Crash Kills Thirteen as Peru Suspends Aerodiana
Modern Slavery Decisions Broaden the Al Fayed Inquiry’s Frame
FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game
Two Firefighting Crew Members Die in Helicopter Collision West of Athens
×