An Afghan asylum seeker who was allegedly harassing girl pupils at a primary school was confronted by a group of horrified mothers.
And the surly migrant is alleged to have spat at the group of parents who rebuked him and told them: ‘I’m allowed to stand where I want – I paid £3,000 to be here.’
Families hit out today after the migrant was arrested just weeks after he had been moved into their desirable riverside village in Surrey in ‘secret’ after repeatedly appearing outside the school.
Police were called after tempers flared when parents challenged the man – who is in his early 20s and is believed to have mental health issues – who they claimed had been monitoring children outside Laleham Church of England Primary School in Surrey.
Now residents in the well-healed leafy commuter belt village have told how they ended up in the frontline of Britain’s asylum crisis after a businessman bought a £500,000 three-bedroom cottage next to Laleham’s war memorial.
Within weeks the property – which overlooks the wisteria-covered period family home of a very well-known female BBC presenter – was turned into a six-roomed hostel before Home Office officials moved in a group of male migrants.
Residents and local councillors of the village near Weybridge said they knew nothing about placing asylum seekers in the House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) 200 yards from the primary school.
But trouble erupted after parents questioned the Afghan national over his behaviour – and he insisted he had paid for the right to do as he pleased.
Police were called after tempers flared when parents challenged the man – who is in his early 20s and is believed to have mental health issues – who they claimed had been monitoring children outside Laleham Church of England Primary School in Surrey
One mother-of-two called Rebecca told the Daily Mail: ‘I was with a group of mothers when one went to speak to him and ask him what he was doing.
‘He became abusive and he told her “I’m allowed to stand where I want. I paid £3,000 to be here.”
‘It sounded like a joke when he said it. He was suggesting he had the right to do whatever he chooses as he had paid the money to come to this country.
‘He went on saying “I live here. I’m relaxing”.
‘He was hanging around the school all the time.
‘When it was pick up and drop off time he would be waiting there, leaning against the wall.
‘He would stand in the same place as if he was waiting for someone to pick him up. Parents started to panic.
‘He was aggressive when you spoke to him if you were a woman. He would react angrily and be abusive.’
‘We were all very concerned.
‘I knew he knew where we lived. He had watched me and the kids walk home so many times. I knew he had watched me and my husband in his car.’
Businesswoman Rebecca – who has a 10-year-old son at the school and a 13-year-old daughter at secondary school – added: ‘My husband was with another dad who went to talk to the school about it. When he was leaving he saw the man standing there peering over the fence looking into the school.
‘They went to speak to him about it and he said nothing and went back to the hostel. It was only women he got angry with.’
Rebecca’s husband Carl told how he reported the man’s behaviour to police but was told there was nothing they could do.
He said: ‘He was standing around and looking in people’s gardens. The police said there were a lot of “if, buts and maybes”.
‘The police spoke to him about his behaviour but he carried on doing what he was doing.
‘He just plonked himself up against the wall on the corner watching the kids. He had his arms crossed with his phone in his hands like he was filming them.
‘He was in the same place for days watching people coming and going. He placed himself there at school run times watching the kids.
‘Eventually the police arrested him but we are concerned as there are others living in the house.’
The £500,000 three-bedroom cottage next to Laleham’s war memorial bought by a businessman from north London who turned it into a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) to house asylum seekers
Another local who lives close to the hostel told how the migrant launched a furious tirade at his wife because he did not like her walking her little dachshund close by.
The man, who has lived in Laleham for 20 years, said: ‘My wife called the police because he had abused her.
‘Our dog is very friendly and it went up to him wagging his tail. He became abusive and aggressive.
‘He was shouting “Go away. Get that f***ing animal away from me. What’s wrong with you people? I hate this f***ing country”.
‘He was obnoxiously rude. It was only after he was arrested that the police got back to her saying the matter was being dealt with.’
The neighbour told how he complained to the council after discovering that the nearby cottage built in the early 20th century was being turned into an HMO after it had been bought by a property developer from north London.
Locals said no planning permission had been sought to carry out the work despite the property being in a Conservation area.
The neighbour said: ‘It happened very quickly towards the end of last year. There was a team of builders who turned it round in three months. I was concerned because they had knocked a chimney down.
‘The council said that in an area like this it would be a place for young professionals.
‘Then about three or four weeks ago the migrants moved in. There were four or five of them. We never saw it happening. They must have moved in during the night.
‘Then the problems started with a man who would spend the day loitering around.
‘There is a bus stop outside the house which the secondary school kids use in the morning and he would go there and just lie down on the bench beside it.
‘What concerns me is that there are still men living there and nobody seems to be doing anything about that. This is just not an appropriate place to be putting migrants.
‘It’s very quiet. There is nothing to do for them here. There is no community support – it’s just asking for trouble.’
Another local said: ‘This raises serious questions about the safeguards in place and does little to reassure residents that appropriate checks are being carried out, especially in an area with many families and in such close proximity to a primary school.
‘The current situation is untenable, and residents deserve clear assurances that their safety and the wellbeing of local children are being treated as a priority.’
Many other locals in Laleham – which is close to the world famous Shepperton Studios and has a with a population of 2,500 – did not realise what was happening until the Afghan national was handcuffed at the HMO’s gates last week.
He was held on suspicion of harassment after allegedly returning to the school despite being told to stay away by police.
The man is now being held at a secure facility under the Mental Health Act.
Local MP Lincoln Jopp said it was ‘unbelievable’ the suspect was ‘living in an unlicensed HMO supported by the Home Office, a stone’s throw from a primary school’.
Earlier this month, the Tories accused the Home Office of housing asylum seekers in new areas of the country without proper vetting or consultation.
Andrew Kennedy, a Conservative member of Kent County Council, said there was ‘widespread anger and fear’ over the Government’s decision to place more than 220 migrants in self-catering accommodation around Tonbridge and Malling.
Mr Kennedy warned that asylum seekers are being allocated housing in ‘desirable residential areas’ as part of Labour’s move to shut migrant hotels.
Labour has announced it is shutting 11 hotels around the country with a promise to ‘accelerate’ closures later in the Spring.
Mr Kennedy said he was particularly concerned about the ‘lack of consultation and concerns over vetting’.
Labour has pledged to close all migrant hotels by the end of this Parliament in 2029, rehousing them in flats and houses, as well as in large-scale accommodation centres.
Mr Jopp challenged Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions this week, in which he demanded to know ‘who screwed up’ and who was ‘responsible for the risk assessment that put’ the migrant in the HMO in Laleham.
Police pictured arresting the asylum seeker outside the HMOÂ on suspicion of harassment on April 16
The Prime Minister said he was unable to discuss the case as it was subject to ‘a live police investigation’.
But he added: ‘Can I reassure him that all accommodation must meet contractual standards. The Home Office work with the police to manage all sites safely.
‘Local authorities are consulted prior to any accommodation being procured and can object to any proposal.
‘Where there is strong evidence a site is not suitable it will not proceed.’
However, the local authority, Spelthorne Borough Council, said it had not been consulted on plans to house asylum seekers at the property.
The council said in a statement: ‘We are aware that the man identified, resided in a House in Multiple Occupation, supported by the Home Office.
‘It would appear that this has happened without the normal risk assessment and communication from the Home Office to the local agencies.
‘The Council has written directly to the Home Office asking for an explanation and an assurance that this will not happen again.’
A spokesperson added: ‘We know this matter has caused concern among local parents and Surrey Police have been working with the school and the local community to keep them informed.
‘We are mindful of some community tension but would ask that people remain calm and allow the police to carry out their investigation, and we ask that residents do not speculate or share unverified information on social media.
‘Alongside the police, protecting our children remains our highest priority.’
In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Mr Jopp said: ‘Had Surrey Police not acted so quickly there could have been tragic consequences.
‘It has since transpired that he resided in an unlicensed HMO supported by the Home Office and that this has happened without the normal risk assessment and communication from the Home Office to the local agencies.
‘As you can imagine, my constituents are understandably very concerned about the safety of their children and indeed their own safety.
‘I would be grateful if you would investigate this as a matter of urgency.’
Surrey Police said: ‘A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of harassment last Thursday (April 16) following reports of an individual approaching people outside Laleham Church of England Primary School.
‘Following further assessment, the man, who is an Afghan national, was detained under the Mental Health Act and is currently awaiting further treatment and assessment at a secure facility.’
It comes as 602 small boat migrants reached the UK last Saturday, pushing this year’s running total past the 6,000 mark.
Nine boatloads of migrants were picked up mid-Channel by Border Force vessels during Saturday and brought ashore at the Port of Dover.
There have been no arrivals in the three days between April 19 and April 21, according to Home Office figures.
It also means that since Labour came to power 70,701 migrants have crossed the Channel to reach Britain.
