Gang leaders to face jail for forcing children to hide drugs inside themselves

Metro

2 days ago

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'Brutal' gang leaders who force children as young as seven to hide illicit objects like drugs and weapons inside themselves will face jail under a new law.
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips told Metro the stories of young and vulnerable people being exploited by criminals is her 'worst nightmare' as a parent.
Now, the act of coerced internal concealment – known by the street names 'plugging', 'stuffing' and 'banking' – could become a specific criminal offence for the first time.
Those who try to smuggle items across the country hidden inside traumatised victims will face up to 10 years behind bars, under an amendment being introduced to the government's Crime and Policing Bill.
Metro travelled to Euston on Monday to see firsthand how the British Transport Police (BTP) is tackling the horrifying practice.
On the bustling concourse of the north London rail station, officers in their bright jackets were even more visible than usual.
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Commuters stepping off the escalator up from the Tube stop were directed towards a knife arch that set off gentle beeps as they passed through, while a police dog named Polly sniffed passengers heading to Liverpool.
And hidden among them were plainclothes police, looking out for subtle signs of exploitation.
Those include children who are 'unkempt, dishevelled, a long way away from where they live or where they're looked after', according to the BTP's Detective Superintendent Craig Payne, who headed up the operation.
Criminals entice these young people with the promise of 'expensive shoes or expensive phones', he added – making these other potential indicators.
Phillips, who was also at Euston to watch the officers at work, said it is difficult to come up with a figure for the number of victims due to the nature of the practice, but a thousand a year would be an underestimate.
She told Metro: 'I've seen cases where people's fertility has been altered by brutal asks of them to carry weapons, money and other things.
'I've seen and heard examples of exploiters giving instructions to young boys about how to conceal drugs inside them. As a parent, that is my worst nightmare.'
The Home Office minister added: 'This was an issue I've seen directly, and I want the use of children and vulnerable adults as mules to make money for exploiters to become a criminal offence, and so that is what we're doing.'
Johnny Bolderson of charity Catch22, which helps victims of exploitation, said his colleagues had worked with seven-year-olds who were abused in this way.
He said: 'There are so many different risks around it physically and internally for the young person, but that doesn't even touch the tip of it.
'Because obviously there's the embarrassment around it, there's the fear, the side of it where you're holding something for a gang and you can lose it if you get arrested, if you are caught or if you ask for support.'
As well as children, he said criminals have also taken advantage of neurodiverse and isolated people.
The new law is a 'great thing moving forward', Johnny added, but he warned it would need to take into account that not all over-18s are perpetrators and ensure support is in place for them too.
Other amendments added to the landmark Crime and Policing Bill, currently more than 300 pages long, including new offences covering child criminal exploitation and cuckooing.
Described by the government as 'one of the most significant updates to crime and policing legislation in the UK for decades', it is now approaching the report stage after passing its second reading in March.
Ensuring vulnerable children and adults do not become victims in the first place is 'the fundamental things that has to happen', Phillips said: 'I don't want to just identify these children and then deal with them after this has happened.'
Law enforcement, schools, youth services and the government all have a role to play in achieving that, she added.
Last month, an Independent Sentencing Review was published, advising the government on potential approaches to justice which could relieve some pressure on the prison system.
One recommendation, a scheme for early release of some offenders, was met with criticism from some of the country's top police officers. More Trending
Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington told the BBC: 'How do the victims of these crimes feel when someone who may have committed a violent crime and given three years in prison is released on parole, and then they breach that licence?
'If I was a victim of crime, I'd be worried about that.'
Phillips said: 'When senior police officers in our country are speaking up for their officers, that is something that every government should listen to.'
'What I know from working with senior police officers is we get to a point with the crisis in prisons where we cannot lock anybody up and something has to be done,' she added.
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