The leafy Surrey village that’s home to a BBC presenter where Afghan asylum seeker staying in three-bed cottage spat at group of mothers as he ‘harassed primary school pupils’

An Afghan asylum seeker who allegedly harassed female students at a primary school was confronted by a group of terrified mothers.

And the surly migrant is alleged to have spat at the group of parents who berated him, telling them: ‘I’m allowed to stand wherever I want – I paid £3,000 to be here.’

Parents were outraged today after the migrant was arrested just weeks after repeatedly ‘sneaking’ outside the school to their desirable riverside village in Surrey.

Police were called after anger flared after parents objected to the man, who is in his early 20s and believed to have mental health problems, after they claimed he was watching children outside Laleham Church of England Primary School in Surrey.

Residents of the now well-recovered leafy suburban village have told how they became the front line of Britain’s asylum crisis after a businessman bought a three-bedroom cottage next to the war memorial in Laleham for £500,000.

The property, overlooking the wisteria-covered period family home of a well-known female BBC presenter, was turned into a six-room hostel within weeks before Home Office officials moved in a group of male immigrants.

Residents and local councilors in the village near Weybridge said they knew nothing about asylum seekers being placed in a Multi-Occupational Home (HMO) 200 meters from the primary school.

But trouble arose when parents questioned the Afghan national about his behavior and said he had paid for the right to do whatever he wanted.

A mum-of-two called Rebecca told the Daily Mail: ‘I was with a group of mums and one went to talk to her and ask her what she was doing.

‘He was abusive and told her, ‘I’m allowed to stand wherever I want. “I paid £3,000 to be here,” he said.

‘It sounded like a joke when I said it. He was arguing that because he had paid to come to this country, he had the right to do whatever he wanted.

“I live here. I relax,” he continued to say.

‘He was always wandering around the school.

‘When it was pick up and drop off time, he was waiting there leaning against the wall.

‘He would stand in the same place as if he were waiting for someone to pick him up. Parents started to panic.

‘If you were a woman he was aggressive when you talked to him. ‘He would react angrily and become abusive.’

‘We were all very worried.

‘I knew you knew where we lived. He had watched me and the kids walk home many times. ‘I knew he was watching me and my husband in his car.’

Businesswoman Rebecca, who has a 10-year-old son at 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 this. As he was leaving he saw the man standing there looking over the fence at the school.

‘They went to talk to him about it but he didn’t say anything and went back to the hostel. ‘He was just angry at women.’

Rebecca’s husband Carl said he reported the man’s behavior to the police but was told there was nothing they could do.

He said: ‘He was standing around and looking at people’s gardens. Police said there were a lot of “ifs, buts, and maybes.”

‘The police spoke to him about his behavior but he continued what he was doing.

‘He leaned against the wall in the corner while watching the children. He had his arms crossed with his phone in his hand, as if he was filming them.

He watched people coming and going in the same place for days. He placed himself there by watching the children during school study times.

‘Eventually the police arrested him but we were concerned there were others living in the house.’

Another resident who lives near the hostel said the migrant launched an angry tirade at his wife because he didn’t like her walking his little dachshund nearby.

The man who has been living in Laleham for 20 years said: ‘My wife called the police because he was violent towards her.

‘Our dog is very friendly and came to you wagging his tail. He became abusive and aggressive.

‘ ‘Go away from here. Get that damn animal away from me. What’s your problem? ‘I hate this fucking country,’ he was screaming.

‘He was disgustingly rude. Only after he was arrested did the police get back to him and say the matter was being addressed.’

The neighbor told how he complained to the council after discovering the country house, built nearby in the early 20th century, had been converted into an HMO after being bought by a north London developer.

Locals said no planning permission had been obtained to carry out the work, despite the property being in a Conservation area.

The neighbor said: ‘This happened very quickly towards the end of last year. There was a team of builders who turned this around in three months. I was worried because they had destroyed the chimney.

‘The council said such an area would be a place for young professionals.

‘Then about three or four weeks ago the immigrants moved in here. There were four or five people. We’ve never seen this happen. They must have moved in the night.

‘Then the problems started with a guy who spent the day wandering around.

‘There is a bus stop outside the house that secondary school children use in the mornings, he went there and lay on the bench next to it.

‘What worries me is that there are men still living there and no one seems to be doing anything about it. This is not a suitable place to settle immigrants.

‘It’s very quiet. There’s nothing to do for them here. No community support; ‘He’s just causing trouble.’

Another local said: ‘This raises serious questions about current security measures and gives little reassurance to residents that appropriate checks are in place, especially in an area with a large number of families and so close to a primary school.

‘The current situation is untenable and residents deserve clear assurance that their safety and the welfare of local children is being prioritized.’

Many residents of Laleham, which is close to the world-famous Shepperton Studios and has a population of 2,500, were unaware of what was happening until the Afghan national was handcuffed at the door of the HMO last week.

He was detained on suspicion of harassment after he allegedly returned to school despite being told by police to stay away.

The man is currently being held in a secure facility under the Mental Health Act.

Local MP Lincoln Jopp said it was “incredible” that the suspect was “living in an unlicensed HMO supported by the Home Office, a stone’s throw from the primary school”.

Earlier this month the Conservative Party accused the Home Office of housing asylum seekers in new parts of the country without proper review or consultation.

Conservative member of Kent County Council Andrew Kennedy said there was ‘widespread anger and fear’ about the Government’s decision to place more than 220 migrants in self-catering accommodation around Tonbridge and Malling.

Mr Kennedy warned that asylum seekers were being allocated housing in ‘desirable residential areas’ as part of Labour’s drive to close migrant hotels.

Labor has announced it will close 11 hotels across the country, promising to ‘accelerate’ closures in the spring.

Mr Kennedy said he was particularly concerned about ‘the lack of consultation and concerns about the investigation’.

Labor has pledged to close all migrant hotels by the end of Parliament in 2029, relocating them to flats and houses as well as large-scale accommodation centres.

Mr Jopp challenged Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions this week, where he demanded to know ‘who screwed things up’ and ‘who was responsible for the risk assessment’ that put the migrant in the HMO in Laleham.

The Prime Minister said he could not discuss the matter as it was subject to a ‘live police investigation’.

But he added: ‘Can I reassure him that all accommodation must comply with contractual standards? The Home Office works with the police to manage all facilities safely.

‘Local authorities will be consulted before any accommodation is provided and any offers may be objected to.

‘Where there is strong evidence that a site is unsuitable it will not be proceeded with.’

But local authority Spelthorne Borough Council said they had not been consulted about plans to house asylum seekers on the property.

In a statement, the council said: ‘We are aware that the man identified is a resident of a Multi-Occupational Home supported by the Home Office.

‘This appears to have happened without the Home Office’s normal risk assessment and communication with local agencies.

‘The council has written directly to the Home Office demanding an explanation and assurances that this will not happen again.’

A spokesman added: ‘We know this issue has caused concern among local parents and Surrey Police are working with the school and local community to keep them informed.

‘We are aware of some tensions in the community but ask people to remain calm and allow police to conduct the investigation and ask residents not to speculate or share unconfirmed information on social media.

‘Protecting our children, as well as the police, remains our top priority.’

In a letter to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Mr Jopp said: ‘There could have been tragic consequences if Surrey Police had not acted so quickly.

‘It has since been revealed that he resided in an unlicensed HMO supported by the Home Office and that this occurred without the normal risk assessment and communication from the Home Office to 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 matter urgently.’

Surrey Police said: ‘A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of harassment on Thursday (April 16) following reports that a man was approaching people outside Laleham Church of England Primary School.

‘The man, an Afghan national, was detained under the Mental Health Act following further assessment and is currently awaiting further treatment and assessment in a secure facility.’

602 small boat migrants arrived in the UK last Saturday, taking this year’s total past the 6,000 mark.

Nine boatloads of migrants were collected in the middle of the Channel by Border Force ships on Saturday and disembarked at the Port of Dover.

There were no arrivals in the three days between April 19 and April 21, according to Home Office figures.

It also means that 70,701 migrants have crossed the Channel into Britain since Labor came to power.