Cops open investigation into claims Sir Mo Farah was trafficked by couple into Britain
THE Met Police has launched an investigation into claims Sir Mo Farah was trafficked by a couple into Britain and made to work as a domestic slave.
Sir Mo told the BBC he was smuggled into London by a stranger who helped him escape the war in Somalia under a fake name when he was eight-years-old.
The four-time Olympic champion revealed the couple then forced him to cook, clean and change nappies for several years.
He also alleges they told him he would never see his family again if he told anyone the truth.
Cops said they were aware of the allegations and had opened an investigation.
A statement by the force said: “Specialist officers have opened an investigation and are currently assessing the available information.”
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He also revealed on The Real Mo Farah programme that he used the identity of another Mohamed Farah, while Sir Mo’s real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin.
On Tuesday the Home Office said they will not punish Sir Mo over the lie, while Downing Street said there would “absolutely not” be any action taken against the champion athlete.
The PM’s official spokesman said: “Sir Mo Farah is a sporting hero, he’s an inspiration to people across the country.
“It’s a shocking reminder of the horrors that people face when they are trafficked and we must continue to clamp down on these criminals who take advantage of vulnerable people.”
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In the film, which aired this week, Sir Mo cries as he reveals: “Most people know me as Mo Farah, but it’s not my name or it’s not the reality. The real story is, I was born in Somaliland, north of Somalia, as Hussein Abdi Kahin.
“Despite what I’ve said in the past, my parents never lived in the UK.
“When I was four my dad was killed in the civil war. I was separated from my mother, and I was brought into the UK illegally under the name of another child called Mohamed Farah.
“To be able to face it and talk about the facts, how it happened, why it happened, it’s tough. The truth is I’m not who you think I am. And now whatever the cost, I need to tell my real story.”
Usually, citizenship can be stripped if an applicant gave “false information or concealed information concerning their identity, for example by using a false name” or used someone else’s identity.
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But given Sir Mo’s age at the time, he falls under Home Office guidance to assume a child is not complicit in gaining citizenship by deception.
This means Sir Mo had no power or control over being trafficked illegally into the UK and was also under the age of criminal responsibility in Britain – ten – at the time.