Migrant hotel linked by police to shocking number of crimes including sexual offences | UK | News
A hotel hosting immigrants has been linked by police to more than 200 crimes in the past five years. The Britannia Hotel in Seacroft, Leeds, is believed to be home to around 210 asylum seekers and was one of the first hotels to be taken over by the Home Office.
Residents living near the hotel have made a Freedom of Information request to West Yorkshire Police about how many crimes were committed there between January 2021 and last December. It was revealed that 202 crimes had been committed on the site, including sexual assaults, arson, drug offenses and violence. During this period, 11 sexual offenses and 25 cases of arson and criminal damage were reported.
There were 79 violent crimes against people, 44 public order offenses and 12 theft offences.
A small number of thefts, drug crimes, gun possession, vehicle crimes and robberies were also reported.
Marti Blagborough, who founded the FOI request group Stand Up Leeds (SUL), said: “People in Seacroft are deeply concerned after official data from West Yorkshire Police showed dozens of recorded crimes at the Britannia Hotel.
“These include violence, sexual offences, public disorder, theft and criminal damage – all recorded in one place in our community. This isn’t about scaremongering. It’s about safety.”
He added: “We all deserve to feel safe where we live. Our society deserves transparency and protection.
“After the first year of six sexual assaults, this hotel should have been closed. How many crimes went unreported? We want the hotel closed and all illegals deported.”
In a statement to the Sunday Express, the SUL group said it believed the convictions revealed in the FOI request did not show the “true extent of the crime”.
He added: “Everyone involved cares deeply about our community and just wants to see a safe place for our families to grow.
“We will continue to protest in front of the hotel until there is a time when there are no more undocumented immigrants who pose a risk to our society.”
Police figures do not include the alleged sexual assault of two teenage girls behind a supermarket in Seacroft on December 30 last year.
A Home Office spokesman said: “New rules announced this week mean asylum seekers who break the law will now be kicked out of their accommodation and stripped of their support payments.”
He added that the Public Safety Operational Response Team conducted an inspection of the area last October.
It concluded that crime and disorder associated with the site were largely due to the actions of non-residents rather than the actions of those staying at the property.
The team added that asylum seekers were disproportionately victims of crimes recorded at the Britannia Hotel.
