Staff at a hotel being used to house asylum seekers are alleged to have obstructed a police investigation into a sex offence involving child.

Reports claim that officers were prevented from entering the east London hotel and staff delayed providing CCTV – which was later automatically deleted. However, accommodation provider Clearsprings says it has robust safeguarding processes.

It comes after a seven-year-old girl and her mother were reported to have witnessed a 34-year-old man intentionally performing a sex act in their presence. Asylum-seeking families are often housed in the same accommodation buildings as single men.

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It is now being claimed that staff and security obstructed the police investigation into the alleged offence. The BBC says it’s been told that staff refused to provide their own names and told police they could not enter the hotel without a warrant.

It’s also alleged that hotel staff refused to provide the name of the suspect – or to provide police with CCTV footage. By the time police were eventually provided with access to CCTV footage, it had been automatically deleted, reports the BBC.

The Met Police confirmed that a man had been charged with outraging public decency and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. The force said its officers visited the hotel following reports that a man had exposed himself – but the alleged victim did not initially wish to support any prosecution.

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However, when officers returned two days later and spoke to the alleged victim and her family, they agreed to provide a statement, the force added. The hotel is run by Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has a 10-year contract to manage asylum seeker accommodation in England and Wales, reports the BBC.

The broadcaster also reports that a male was sexually assaulted at another hotel for asylum seekers in Staffordshire in December 2022. The local authority declined to provide the person’s age or the name of the provider, said the BBC.

The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, said she has repeatedly raised concerns about accommodation for asylum seekers with the Home Office.

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A spokesperson for the commissioner told the BBC: “All children, whether they are with their parents or not, should be living in places where they are safe, protected from harm, and are able to thrive. We have spoken to too many children and families where that is not happening – this must change.”

The BBC said that the Home Office “declined to say what vetting and compliance checks are made of safeguarding arrangements at hotels” – and that “it would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation”.

In a statement, Clearsprings Ready Homes told he BBC: “For obvious reasons we cannot comment on any ongoing investigations but can confirm that we have a robust safeguarding process in place and any issues arising are dealt with promptly by our experienced team.”

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