EXCLUSIVE How an asylum seeker hotel at the centre of violent protests 'over migrant sex attacks' has long plagued its market town - and tensions have been boiling for years

Daily Mail​

15 hours ago

Five years ago, a shabby run down hotel on the edge of the Essex market town of Epping became the subject of unwarranted attention.
The 79-room Bell Hotel became home to around 100 new residents - all men said to be from Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
It happened as thousands of asylum seekers continued to arrive illegally in the UK as the Covid pandemic erupted and Britain went into lockdown.
The sudden arrival of the new residents triggered years of simmering tensions in the community which in recent days, following a series of alarming events, has led to scenes of ugly violence.
On Sunday night, rival groups of anti-migrant demonstrators and counter-protesters faced off outside the hotel.
Two people, who worked as security guards at the hotel, were left bloodied and injured in what police have described as a racially motivated attack.
The violence erupted after a resident of the hotel was accused of three sex attacks in two days - including one on a schoolgirl - just eight days after arriving by small boat in the UK.
Victims - said to be two teenage girls and a woman - were approached 'on a busy high street'.
Ethiopian-born Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was remanded in custody by magistrates last Thursday after he was charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence.
Kebatu, who denies wrongdoing, is said to have arrived in Britain on June 29.
The alleged offences follow in the wake of two serious arson attacks - one which led to another local hotel housing asylum seekers being severely damaged after it was engulfed in flames.
Eight days later, The Bell Hotel was targeted when a blaze broke out in a ground-floor bedroom.
The incidents were no acts of misplaced vigilante retribution. Both fires were alleged to have been started by the same man - a resident who was moved from one hotel to the other.
On May 7, Abdul Rahman, 36, was remanded in custody at Chelmsford Crown Court after being accused of two offences of arson with intent to endanger life.
Now MailOnline can reveal that an extraordinary intervention by Keir Starmer's government lies at the heart of events that led to a growing wave of anger in the community.
Two local MPs have requested an urgent meeting with the Home Secretary and called for the hotel to be shut down immediately amid claims that locals were kept in the dark before the migrants were parachuted into 'unsuitable' accommodation.
The town's troubles began after migrants were placed in the hotel on what was supposed to be a temporary basis in 2020.
At the time, the Home Office booked 4,000 hotel rooms in different parts of the country to house asylum seekers to deal with a surge in illegal cross-Channel arrivals as the Covid pandemic took hold.
The Home Office and its asylum accommodation providers began using hotels, generally those with three stars, because of action to halt removals of asylum applicants from existing properties during the crisis.
To make matters worse, the issue was quickly exploited by right-wing activists.
A local councillor who represents the For Britain movement was accused of inciting racial hatred after he posted an incendiary video on YouTube in 2020.
The video, called The Epping Migrant Hotel Scandal, highlighted how the Bell Hotel was being used by asylum seekers and illegal immigrants who had come to the UK to exploit the benefits system.
The councillor claimed that provisions from a food bank were being diverted away from local people and that the new residents of the hotel had caused an increase in shoplifting and pickpocketing as well as posing a security risk.
In response, Epping Forest District Council published a 'myth-busting' leaflet to counter 'unfounded rumours' that had circulated on social media leaving many residents 'unnecessarily alarmed'.
The council insisted the Home Office use of The Bell had 'no negative impact on local residents'.
Holly Whitbread, the council's housing portfolio holder, said: 'It is not costing Epping Forest district council anything.
'It is not affecting our council house allocations or being funded through our local housing budget, and it is not impacting local crime levels, with no increase in crime or crime linked to the hotel.
'They are not a threat to local people and I would appeal to everyone to leave them in peace while the government deals with their claims.'
Local politicians were, however, raising objections to the move and frustrations grew as it became clear that no paying guests would return to the hotel for the foreseeable future.
Council leaders insisted The Bell and the nearby Epping Phoenix Hotel - were unsuitable locations for housing refugees and asylum seekers who 'require complex and comprehensive support measures'.
Opinions were divided over the arrival of the new residents. Local church groups rallied together to provide support for the hotel's residents over concerns for their welfare.
A number of locals have reported that crimes had increased in the town after the migrants moved in with incidents of theft, anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and women being harassed in the streets. However, councillors have insisted crime has not increased since the hotel began housing asylum seekers.
Tensions remained until it was revealed in January last year that The Bell would no longer provide accommodation to asylum seekers after its contract was terminated by the Home Office.
The Government of the time announced the arrangement would cease by the end of April 2024 and that residents would be moved to 'other parts of the asylum estate'.
Yet, within a year, the decision was reversed by the new Labour government as record levels of migrants continued to flood into the country.
Local politicians, who had fought for the hotel to be closed down, insisted their hands were tied over the matter.
When immigrants began moving in last March, one official said: 'We have been informed but were not consulted.
'However, we have expressed our concerns for the health and well-being of people placed in unsuitable accommodation which lacks the necessary social, medical and transport infrastructure.
'We have not been given timescales but appeal to the Home Office to act quickly in finding more suitable accommodation as soon as possible.'
Within days, residents of the Phoenix Hotel were evacuated and had to be taken to alternative accommodation following the first arson attack.
Despite suffering significant damage, the hotel is back up and running and is still being used to house migrants.
In the wake of Sunday's disorder, local political leaders have held meetings with Home Office officials and have launched a petition for the 'immediate and permanent closure' of the hotels which had become the focus of 'serious safety concerns'.
Councillor Chris Whitbread, the Conservative Leader of the local council, said he took pride in the 'tolerance, good sense and decent nature' of the local community.
He said the hotels had 'run their course' and 'must close' and called on local residents to 'stand together peacefully'.
He said: 'Let me be absolutely clear. Epping Forest District Council has consistently and repeatedly opposed the use of the Bell Hotel to accommodate asylum seekers.
'From the outset, we warned the Home Office that this site is entirely inappropriate.
'Placing vulnerable individuals from a wide range of cultural backgrounds into an unsupervised setting, in the centre of a small town, without the proper infrastructure, support or services, is both reckless and unacceptable.
'It puts pressure on local services, causes understandable concern for residents, and is unfair on those placed in the hotel.
'The Home Office must now face the reality of the situation. The Bell Hotel must be closed without delay. Our warnings have been ignored for too long.'
Following the sex attacks, violence erupted after anti-migrant protesters gathered outside The Bell before the arrival of a rival 'Refugees Welcome' demonstration.
Police were forced to intervene as large crowds jeered, with some shouting obscenities while one person was heard screaming 'Go home you c***, go home. F*** off back on your boat and go'.
Shocking footage emerged showing one man bleeding heavily from his head as he limped to the hotel.
In another clip, two men are seen punching one another and wrestling next to a car before police charged in to break up the brawl.
A third video shows a large crowd of people - some of whom were waving the flag of St George - massing opposite the property and repeatedly chanting 'protect our kids', as about a dozen police stood guard.
No arrests were made at the time.
Among those who witnessed the drama was father-of-three Adam Brooks, an anti-knife campaigner whose father was brutally stabbed to death when he was a child.
The Essex-based publican said: 'There's a protest because a migrant was charged with sexual assault against a young girl in Epping High Road last week.
'There are worried mothers, worried children, there's grandmothers, fathers, uncles, grandads, and we've got an anti-racism lot that have turned up.
'Things are getting heated here. I just cannot believe that an anti-racism mob would turn up against something like this.'
One migrant living at the hotel told MailOnline how tensions following the sex attacks had led to him being targeted by vigilantes.
Ismael Wani, 35, said: 'I was walking to the shop with another man the other day when two cars stopped and six men hit out.
'They started to insult us, telling us to "f*** off back home'" and then they started to hit us with their fists.
'I got punched in the head.'
He added: 'On Sunday when there was a crowd outside it was very frightening.'
Mr Wani, from Kuwait, said plans had been put in place to bring more residents to the property.
He said: 'It is a full house in the hotel right now. There must be 100 people staying there now. And they are trying to open up new rooms to provide more places for people to sleep.'
On Tuesday morning, the hotel was seen daubed in graffiti. Slogans including 'Go Home', 'Die' and 'This Is England' had been sprayed onto two of the large front windows.
At least one window in an annex building appeared to have been broken in the weekend disturbance, with a temporary plastic covering placed over the window frame.
Police officers were seen talking to private security guards while workmen hastily erected a wood-panel fence around one side of the front of the property.
The hotel accommodation is made up of a number of buildings - the historic front block which bears the iconic bell, a newly constructed red brick building and other buildings behind.
All of the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms with free toiletries and a sitting area. The hotel also has a sprawling garden and a library and self-service kitchen facilities.
The hotel was built on the site of an ancient coaching inn where, according to legend, diarist Samuel Pepys stayed in 1663.
It had previously hosted prestigious guests with Brian Clough's legendary Nottingham Forest team reportedly staying there ahead of matches against London clubs.
It is not clear which private company operates the hotel on behalf of the Home Office but the property was bought by British businessman Hassanali Somani, for £2.97 million in May 2003.
In 2011, Mr Somani, 64, who owns other hotels in Essex and Hertfordshire, applied for planning permission to turn the property into a 'luxury' care home for the elderly.
Speaking in the wake of the unrest, Superintendent Tim Tubbs, of Essex Police, said: 'We respect everyone's right to protest, and we police without fear of favour - these are important fundamentals of our work when it comes to public order.
'We'll be working with all our partner agencies in the coming days to hear their thoughts and establish how we can provide the most effective police response for events like this in the future.
'As with all our policing of public events such as protests, we will review any body-worn video to ensure any offences are detected.'
A Essex Police spokesperson added: 'We will not tolerate violent incidents of this nature.
'An extensive investigation is underway to identify those responsible, led by our detectives.
'Our investigation suggests the offences were racially aggravated.
'Anyone with information which could assist our enquiries is asked to get in touch.
'We are acutely aware and understand that emotions within the community are running high.
'However crime of any sort committed by anyone will not be tolerated. We continue to have a significant policing presence in the area to keep people safe.'