London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 08, 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
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
UK Tax Authority Proposes Broad Changes to Rules Governing Company Distributions
UK Government Moves to Protect Standing Areas Outside Pubs From Local Restrictions
Extreme Right-Wing Referrals Under UK Prevent Programme Rise 42 Percent
EU Citizens in UK Warned That Some Residency Rights May Have Been Granted in Error
Every Monitored Body of Water in England Fails Chemical Purity Standards, Government Data Shows
UK Scientists Create First Artificial Intelligence-Designed Viruses
England Orders Primary Schools to Identify Children at Risk of Becoming Disengaged From Education or Work
Government Moves to Close Prison Release Loophole Amid Concern Over Grooming Gang Offenders
UK Economy Shows Modest Growth Despite Energy Volatility and Global Supply Pressures
Police and Prosecutors Failed to Stop Sex Offender Who Later Murdered Two Women, Review Finds
Millions in England Face Longer Mental Health Waiting Times as NHS Providers Cut Spending
Met Office Warns of Heatwave as Temperatures Across England and Wales Could Reach 36 Degrees Celsius
HMRC’s 2029 Tax Shift Could Overlap Old and New Self-Assessment Bills
Thetford Disorder Prompts Expanded Police Powers Amid Asylum-Housing Protests
Cambridge Faces Calls for Independent Review of Jason Arday Appointment
Scotland’s ‘Cock of the North’ Woodland Is Being Felled After Wind Damage
Reform UK and Greens Unite Against Vast Solar Plans for Kent Marshland
New Zealand Draws Wealthy Americans With Revamped Investor Visa
Senate Panel Votes to Hold Anthony Fauci in Contempt After Fifth Amendment Testimony
Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Resigns as University Opens Inquiry Into His Credentials
Manchester Power Failure Disrupts Trains Across North West Into Friday
UK Fashion and Tourism Sectors Prepare for Strong Summer and Autumn Activity
London Residents Seek Appeal Against Approval for Chinese Super-Embassy Development
UK Environment Officials Issue Biosecurity Alert Over Rising Bluetongue Cases in Livestock
UK Charity Regulator Opens Investigations Into Donations Linked to Israeli Settlements
Gatwick Expansion and Chinese Embassy Plans Highlight Growing UK Infrastructure Disputes
UK Agriculture Authorities Warn of Rising Bluetongue Virus Cases Among Sheep Farms
UK Watchdog Finds Electronic Monitoring Failures Leaving Some Offenders Without Timely Alerts
Metropolitan Police Investigate Covent Garden Knife Attack That Injured Four Men
UK Government Confirms Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Programme Expands
Diageo Plans Guinness Expansion While Cutting Jobs Through Global Restructuring Programme
Bank of England Keeps UK Borrowing Costs Stable While Markets Await Future Rate Cuts
Gatwick Airport Wins Approval for Second Runway Expansion After Legal Challenges Fail
Apple Challenges UK Government Over Demand for Access to Encrypted iCloud Data
London Approves First Autonomous Taxi Licences for Wayve and Uber Passenger Trials
UK Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Finds Advanced AI Models Showing Deceptive Behaviour in Security Tests
UK Small Boat Channel Crossings Fall Forty-Three Percent as Government Highlights France Cooperation
UK Government Plans Procurement Reforms to Boost British Jobs and Domestic Steel Supply Chains
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at Three Point Seven Percent as Inflation Stays Above Target
×