'Trafficked' Vietnamese boys flee children's home
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Two 15-year-old Vietnamese boys who arrived in the UK as part of a suspected human trafficking operation have run away from a children's home, police said today.
Tam Xuan Le and Tuan Anh Tran were taken into local authority care after being found by a Dutch driver in the back of his lorry when he stopped in Crawley, West Sussex, on January 4.
They were last seen at a children's home in Worthing late on January 23 but had disappeared by the following morning, Sussex Police said.
Details about the teenagers, who speak almost no English, have been circulated to police forces nationwide and to the national charity Missing People.
A police spokesman said: "There is no evidence or information at this stage to suggest that they have come to harm, but they had little, if any, cash or other belongings, speak almost no English, and had clearly only just arrived in the UK when they were found."
Tam is 5ft 6in, of slim build, with black hair, and was believed to be wearing a white hooded top with a check design. He wears two earrings in his left ear.
Tuan is 5ft 7in, of slim build, with black hair, and was believed to be wearing a light coloured jacket with a black blob logo, and blue jeans.
Anyone who has seen the two boys or knows of their whereabouts is asked to contact Sussex Police on 0845 6070 999.