logo
Security guards at asylum seeker hotel in Essex were ambushed at a bus stop during violent anti-immigration protests, police reveal as community anger continues

Security guards at asylum seeker hotel in Essex were ambushed at a bus stop during violent anti-immigration protests, police reveal as community anger continues

Daily Mail​17-07-2025
Two security guards working at an hotel housing asylum seekers in Essex have been left with serious injuries in what police called a 'racially aggravated' attack.
The stewards, both male, were assaulted by a group of men at a bus stop on Epping's High Road, close to the town's Bell Hotel - an asylum hotel that was the target of a large anti-immigration protest at the weekend.
Community anger has flared in Epping after an Ethiopian migrant was accused of a series of sexual assaults close to the hotel, just days after allegedly arriving in Britain via a small boat.
A protest was staged outside the Bell days after 38-year-old Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu allegedly attacked a woman and two teenagers, during which the security staff were both ambushed.
Police say the workers were 'seriously assaulted' by a group of men at a bus stop in High Road before they staggered past the protest into the hotel to get help.
Video footage shared from the weekend showed a man in a white shirt walking into the hotel with a bloody head injury.
Detectives are treating the attack, which left the pair with serious but not life-threatening injuries, as racially aggravated.
Two days later, a man was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and criminal damage after allegedly shouting racial abuse at the hotel and causing damage to the building.
He has been released on bail as police continue to make enquiries. In the meantime, Essex Police chiefs have pleaded for calm in the community amid rising tensions.
Specifically, they have urged people not to speculate on the offences allegedly committed by Ethiopian national Kebatu, 38, in order to avoid derailing the case.
Kebatu was remanded in custody 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.
He is said to have arrived in Britain on June 29 - and denies all wrongdoing.
Superintendent Tim Tubbs said: 'I am acutely aware of the strength of feeling locally, specifically on an ongoing police investigation which at this stage has seen one man charged with a number of sexual offences.
'That case is continuing to progress through court and the suspect was remanded into custody after a hearing last week.
'We know there is significant discussion about this ongoing case within the community and indeed further afield.
'As the police, we must be limited in what we say whilst a criminal investigation is progressing through the courts and the last thing we want is for any public discussion to hinder an ongoing prosecution.'
Supt Tubbs added that police were not seeking to curtail free speech in asking the public to moderate their views for the time being.
Supt Tubbs added: 'We understand people's right to make their voices heard on issues which matter to them. We don't seek to stifle this.
'People who do this peacefully, lawfully and responsibly cause us – and the wider public – no concern.
'However, we can never and will never tolerate criminal violence of any sort and anyone identified as committing crime will be dealt with robustly.
'There will continue to be a very visible policing presence in Epping in the coming days to ensure the safety of our community.
'If you've got concerns or information you feel we need to know, please do not hesitate to contact those officers.'
Following Kebatu's arrest, protesters descended on the Bell Hotel on July 13, daubing slogans such as 'This is Englad (sic)', 'Die' and 'Go Home' on the windows.
They held St George's Cross flags inscribed with 'Save Our Kids' and 'Send Them Home' - met by a counter-protest organised by Stand Up To Racism, who waved signs reading 'Refugees Welcome'.
Some shouted obscenities at the hotel. One was heard screaming 'Go home you c***, go home. F*** off back on your boat and go'.
The anger directed at the Bell Hotel has impacted some of its residents. Migrant Ismael Wani, from Kuwait, told MailOnline he was punched in the head by a gang of men who got out of two cars and told him to 'f*** off back home'.
Home Official officials began using hotels to house asylum seekers on a large scale five years ago as they struggled to cope with the ever-growing backlog of claims.
Chris Whitbread, leader of the local Epping Forest District Council, said his authority had 'consistently and repeatedly' opposed the use of the Bell Hotel to house migrants, calling it 'entirely inappropriate' and 'reckless'.
The Bell Hotel has been housing asylum seekers for around five years - a fact that has not gone unnoticed by right-wing activists.
Julian Leppert, a local councillor who represented the anti-Islam For Britain movement and once stood for the British National Party, was accused of inciting racial hatred after he posted an incendiary video on YouTube in 2020.
The video, called The Epping Migrant Hotel Scandal, claimed the Bell Hotel was being used by asylum seekers and illegal immigrants who had travelled to Britain to exploit the benefits system.
Leppert - who once suggested to the Guardian he advocated for some areas being all-white - claimed that provisions from a food bank were being diverted away from local people and that the new residents of the hotel were driving a new crime wave.
The one-time BNP man, who also once had to deny his car's number plate resembled the word 'Nazi' - was also asked to substantiate his claims by council bosses and was sanctioned for breaching its code of conduct when he could not do so.
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'.
It featured council housing portfolio holder - and Mr Whitbread's daughter - Holly Whitbread stating that the hotel had 'no negative impact on local residents'.
She has since promoted a petition seeking the Bell's closure on social media. It has collected 6,700 signatures to date.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ryanair is forced to apologise after telling widow her dead husband would have to apply for £827 refund
Ryanair is forced to apologise after telling widow her dead husband would have to apply for £827 refund

Daily Mail​

time9 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Ryanair is forced to apologise after telling widow her dead husband would have to apply for £827 refund

A widow was left in tears when Ryanair refused to refund her dead husband's £827 flights - telling her he needed to complain from beyond the grave. Yvonne Shields' husband Colin Shields booked his flights to Venice, Italy, last year and was meant to fly out in September to represent Scotland at a powerchair football match. Colin was tetraplegic after he had an accident 14 years ago and needed two essential carers to accompany him on the flight, whose tickets he paid for. But when Colin tragically passed away due to brain bleed in April 2025, Yvonne contacted Ryanair customer support to notify them and request a refund. The 44-year-old said she was told she could not get a refund for the carers' tickets as it was against Ryanair's policy despite Colin having paid for them. She was promised a refund of only £258 for his ticket but claims she has not even received that either, adding: 'It's so upsetting and trivial.' When Yvonne got back in touch to chase the refund, she was reportedly told they could not disclose any information unless they speak to the original booker - despite being informed the 'booker is dead'. The mother said she even provided Ryanair with Colin's death certificate and proof that she is the will executor, but they still refused to speak with her and ended the chat. Ryanair have since apologised for the ordeal and said that she was 'regrettably incorrectly advised wrongly' by their customer service agent. Yvonne, from Glasgow, Scotland, explained: 'They said there's nothing else we can help you with and ended the chat.' She said the lack of empathy and understanding from Ryanair is frustrating and caused her to burst into tears. The mother-of-two said it is a lot for her to deal with while also handling grief and feels like she is 'bashing her head on a brick wall.' Yvonne added: 'I burst into tears because I have quite a lot to deal with right now since Colin passed. It's a lot. 'It's not like you're getting this clean slate to start again. I constantly have to deal with things. 'I've got two kids as well, 14 and 17, and it's dealing with their emotions as well. 'The fact they're not even giving me the money back is infuriating. It's like bashing your head on a brick wall. They're trying to speak to someone that isn't here, it's an unreasonable request. 'It's frustrating, it's devastating, you feel like you're nothing. We've dealt with so much because of his disability. Things are always that little bit tougher, harder.' Colin was paralysed from the chest down after an accident in 2010 and developed a condition called autonomic dysreflexia, which meant his blood pressure could soar and cause a stroke if not treated - which is what led to his brain bleed. Yvonne said: 'Colin had an accident 14 years ago, a month before our youngest was born. It's just constant battling and I feel tired, I feel drained, sometimes I want to just ignore it but my sister says 'you're not ignoring this, they stole from you.' 'It's the lack of empathy, lack of understanding, it's not a bog-standard person going on a flight, it's a disabled person. 'If you had a family member who died, surely you would think it's all cancelled.' A Ryanair spokesperson said: 'Mr Shields was due to travel from Edinburgh to Venice on September 16, 2025, but passed away prior to this flight. 'Mrs Shields attempted to submit a refund request on April 26 and was advised to submit a death certificate and proof of executorship. 'On June 30, Mrs Shields was informed that a refund (£257.58) was issued and was regrettably incorrectly advised by a customer service agent who wrongly believed that the other two passengers on the booking were not entitled to a refund. 'Our Customer Service Department would be happy to further assist this passenger to correct this customer service agent's error and assist this passenger with their refund.' Ryanair admitted the customer service agent also incorrectly informed Yvonne that the refund of £257.58 would be sent to her husband's Ryanair wallet, instead of the card used to pay for the booking.

Female Army musician sacked for groping six soldiers
Female Army musician sacked for groping six soldiers

Telegraph

time9 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Female Army musician sacked for groping six soldiers

A 'predatory' female musician in the Coldstream Guards groped and propositioned six colleagues, a court martial heard. Lance Corporal Caitlyn Hawkins, 26, was dismissed from the British Army after she pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of four colleagues and committing disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind against two others. The clarinettist was handed an 18-month suspended sentence after a military court heard that she squeezed the genitals of a male colleague while 'staggering' back from a pub in London. Colonel Jim Carmichael, prosecuting, told Bulford Military Court that in May 2023, LCpl Hawkins left a pub in London 'heavily intoxicated' with three male colleagues. The court martial heard she walked up to one of her colleagues and moved her face close to his in an attempt to kiss him. Some time afterwards, LCpl Hawkins 'softly squeezed' his genitals for around two seconds. Col Carmichael said the male soldier was 'completely shocked' and said that for the rest of the journey to camp, she repeatedly put her hands on his crotch and buttocks. On that same walk home, she grabbed another one of the soldier's genitals without his consent for around one to two seconds before he pushed her hand away. She also touched the buttocks of another one of her male colleagues, who described her behaviour as 'inappropriate'. 'That's enough now' Another incident, which took place in June 2024, involved two female colleagues. One described that when she arrived at the pub, LCpl Hawkins was 'already quite drunk'. The court martial heard that after giving the woman a hug in greeting, LCpl Hawkins moved her hand onto the soldier's bottom, and then proceeded to 'stroke her back again and kissed her on the side of the neck'. She asked her colleague, 'Would your boyfriend mind if I kissed you right now?' In response, her victim said: 'That's enough now', and LCpl Hawkins left to go to the toilet. Later that night, at a different pub, LCpl Hawkins again started to touch the same colleague, 'squeezed her bottom' and cupped her vagina over her clothing. On that same night, LCpl Hawkins tried to touch the breasts of another female colleague before undoing her bra over her clothing. She was told to stop and moved away. Later on, in the toilet at the pub, LCpl Hawkins told the colleague, 'it's really annoying that you are straight and this attractive - do you not want to try it?' Col Carmichael told the court martial that LCpl Hawkins then put her hands on the woman's breasts and tried to kiss her. The court martial heard of a sixth victim, who said that between June and October of 2023, LCpl Hawkins had assaulted her on four occasions while The victim said on one occasion, LCpl Hawkins stood beside the woman and put her hand down her trousers, making 'skin to skin' contact. 'Willingness to treat them disgracefully' Chris Cannon, mitigating, told the court that LCpl Hawkins had no previous convictions and had been described as a 'model soldier' in character references. LCpl Hawkins apologised and said she 'deeply regrets' her actions. She pleaded guilty to seven charges of sexual assault and two charges of disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind at an earlier hearing. She was handed an 18-month suspended sentence and dismissed from the Army. LCpl Hawkins must also carry out 240 hours of unpaid work and 35 rehabilitation activity days. Judge Atwill said many of LCpl Hawkins's victims 'felt disempowered by your predatory behaviour' and were upset by her 'willingness to treat them disgracefully'.

Bomb squad responds to suspicious package near White House
Bomb squad responds to suspicious package near White House

Daily Mail​

time9 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Bomb squad responds to suspicious package near White House

By The United States Secret Service arrested a man after he climbed a gate at the US Treasury building in Washington DC as police deployed a bomb squad to investigate a 'suspicious package' he left near the White House. Officers cordoned off the area and restricted pedestrian and vehicle traffic as specialists from the Metropolitan Police Department's Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit examined the object the unidentified man left on the sidewalk outside of the fence at around 2.30pm on Sunday. The Treasury building is located right next to the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue, but President Donald Trump was overseas in Scotland meeting with European Union Commission President Ursuala von der Leyen (pictured) at the time. Authorities ultimately concluded that the bag was not an explosive device, a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement, and the roads were reopened. The suspect was then charged with unlawful entry and in connection with an outstanding warrant. He was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation. It remains unclear what the man's motivation may have been for scaling the fence to the Treasury building. But his arrest came just hours after hundreds of protesters gathered outside the White House to protest the blockade of aid to the Gaza Strip, according to the Anadolu Agency. The group marched from Lafayette Square to the home of the president to demand an end to the blockade and United States support for Israel. Some even displayed photos of children who have died in Gaza from malnutrition and re-enacted the deaths of Palestinians who were killed seeking food. Organizer Hazami Barmada explained on Instagram that the protest was designed to push for 'food for Gaza, for unrestricted aid, for the humanity and dignity of Palestinians to stop being taken away or stripped by Israel.' She also urged the White House to 'do its job' and help end the blockade. But as the protest raged on, President Trump promised additional U.S. food aid to combat starvation in Gaza. He also complained that the United States doesn't get credit for the aid it is providing to the area, and vowed to press other nations to do more. 'People don't know this – and we didn't certainly get any acknowledgement or thank you, but we contributed $60 million to food and supplies and everything else,' said Trump. 'We hope the money gets there, because you know, that money gets taken. The food gets taken. We're going to do more, but we gave a lot of money. Nobody acknowledged it. Nobody talks about it,' Trump complained. 'And it makes you feel a little bad when you do that. And you know, you have other countries not giving anything.' 'The US is going to do more aid for Gaza but we'd like to have other countries participate,' the president said. 'It would be nice to have at least a thank you,' Trump continued. His remarks came after Israel announced it would provide 10-hour 'tactical' pauses to allow food aid deliveries amid the humanitarian crisis and the breakdown in talks for a ceasefire that would free remaining hostages that Hamas took after the October 7 attack on Israel. It has made other allowances for aid since beginning its attacks following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack inside Israel. But the blockade and difficulty for people to move and access food and medicine has led to reports of widespread hunger. 'If we weren't there, I think people would have starved, frankly – they would have starved. And it's not like they're eating well, but a lot of that food is getting stolen by stolen by Hamas. You know, they're stealing the food. They're stealing a lot of things. You ship it in, and they steal it, then they sell it,' Trump said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store