Missing Hove refugee 'forced into slavery', police say

Since July 2021, 139 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children have been reported missing from the Home Office-run hotel in the city, with 50 still unaccounted for.

The Argus can reveal that 11 of those who had gone missing were arrested for a range of offences in different parts of the country.

Arrests were made by police forces across the country, including in Essex, Gloucester, Cambridgeshire and even as far afield as Scotland.

Most of the children were arrested for drugs offences, including intent to supply, cultivation of cannabis, and driving under the influence of drugs.

Others were also arrested for theft, robbery, burglary, money laundering and possession of an offensive weapon.

One of the missing refugees, arrested in February for driving offences, is thought to have been a victim of modern-day slavery and assault, police said.

Some 36 children seeking asylum in the UK are missing from two hotels in Eastbourne (Image: Ginger Fair)

A further four children, who had gone missing in Eastbourne, were also arrested - with all of them apprehended in London.

A total of 86 children remain missing from three hotels across Sussex - 50 from one hotel in Hove and a further 36 from two hotels in Eastbourne.

Sussex Police also revealed that some missing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children from Hove and Eastbourne were found in situations where they “could have been exploited” on 17 occasions.

What were the 15 missing children arrested for?

Eleven children missing from Hove were arrested between August 2022 and May 2023.

• August 2022 - Assault arrest in Essex
• September 2022 - Possession with intent to supply drugs in Cambridgeshire
• September 2022 - Money laundering and possession of an offensive weapon in Hampshire
• October 2022 - Burglary in London
• October 2022 - Possession with intent to supply drugs in Gloucester
• December 2022 - Cultivation of cannabis in Tottenham
• February 2023 - Arrested being concerned in the supply of drugs in Scotland
• February 2023 - Arrested for driving offences in London (reported to have been a victim of modern-day slavery and assault)
• March 2023 - Arrested for possession with intent to supply a Class A drug in London
• April 2023 - Arrested for driving offences, failure to stop, possession of a Class A drug, drug driving, and dangerous driving in Uxbridge, London
• May 2023 - Arrested for allowing himself to be carried in a stolen vehicle in Southwark, London

Four children missing from Eastbourne were arrested between February 2022 and August 2022.

• February 2022 - Arrested for theft in London
• March 2022 - Arrested for theft in London
• July 2022 - Arrested for robbery in London
• August 2022 - Arrested for robbery in London

Peter Kyle, MP for Hove, said: “Myself and others aren’t calling this a national child protection scandal for nothing.

“This information clearly shows that children are missing and children have been exploited. 

“Yet what is the government’s response only this week? They have written to me to say they want to pack more children in the Hove hotels.

“It’s sickening as well as unlawful.”

Peter Kyle has repeatedly voiced concern over child migrants in his constituency of Hove (Image: PA)

Yesterday, The Argus revealed that capacity at two hotels in Hove housing people seeking asylum in the UK has been increased significantly by the Home Office.

One hotel being used to accommodate families will have its capacity expanded by almost 50 per cent, while another housing adult male asylum-seekers will have its capacity almost doubled.

Children seeking asylum will also be housed at a third hotel in Hove where more than 100 have already gone missing.

READ MORE:

• Hotel to house more refugees, despite dozens of asylum-seekers still missing
• Leader vows to fight against Home Office sending unaccompanied refugee children here
• Report dismisses claims children missing from hotel have been exploited by gangs

It comes three months after the Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership published a report that said claims that missing asylum-seeking children may have been kidnapped or exploited by criminals were “unsubstantiated”.

Chris Robson, an independent scrutineer who wrote the report, wrote: “Whilst there is a clear evidential basis for legitimate concerns regarding the number of children who have gone missing from the hotel, I have found no evidence to support claims of kidnapping or coercion by criminal gangs.”

Mr Robson also criticised the language used by figures such as Hove MP Peter Kyle about the issue as “highly provocative”. Mr Kyle had previously raised concerns in Parliament that missing refugee children were being “coerced into crime”.

However, in the report published at the end of February, Mr Robson said: “The use of such highly provocative language should be carefully considered and limited to instances where there is clear evidence that such offending is taking place and it is in the public interest to raise the issue.”

Brighton and Hove Safeguarding Children Partnership were contacted for comment.

Dozens of children have been reported missing from a hotel in Hove housing refugees since July 2021

A Home Office spokesman said: “Due to the rise in dangerous small boats crossings, the government has had no alternative but to urgently use hotels to give unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in the UK a roof over their heads.

“The wellbeing of children and minors in our care is an absolute priority and there is 24/7 security at every hotel used to accommodate them.

“When a child goes missing, a multi-agency, missing persons protocol is mobilised, alongside the police and local authorities, to establish their whereabouts and ensure they are safe.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "Sussex Police has a dedicated unit within its Missing Persons’ team focused solely on locating missing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

"When people go missing, our primary role is to investigate the circumstances including assessing if they are vulnerable or could have been a victim of crime.

"If risks to their safety are identified, we and other appropriate parties will take action to safeguard them.

"Once a person is located, where criminality is associated with either the initial disappearance or subsequent harbouring of those wishing to remain missing, Sussex Police will assess and take positive action as appropriate.

"We continue to work with the Home Office to help put prevention measures in place, including multi-agency safeguarding meetings with other partners, to ensure that, when people are reported missing, we have the best opportunity to locate them."