Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Mo Farah: Met Police investigating Olympian’s revelation he was trafficked to UK as child

The Home Office earlier confirmed it would not take action against Sir Mo after he said he was illegally trafficked to UK as child

John Besley
Thursday 14 July 2022 03:12 EDT
Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into Sir Mo Farah’s revelation that he was trafficked to the UK illegally under the name of another child (John Giles/PA)
Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into Sir Mo Farah’s revelation that he was trafficked to the UK illegally under the name of another child (John Giles/PA) (PA Wire)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into Sir Mo Farah’s revelation that he was trafficked to the UK illegally under the name of another child.

The four-time Olympic champion, 39, revealed in the BBC documentary The Real Mo Farah how he was brought to Britain from Somalia illegally having assumed the name of another child, after his father was killed in the civil war.

In a statement, the Met said: “We are aware of reports in the media concerning Sir Mo Farah. No reports have been made to the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) at this time.

“Specialist officers have opened an investigation and are currently assessing the available information.”

[xdelx]

In the documentary, broadcast on Wednesday night, Sir Mo said he was helped to obtain UK citizenship by his school PE teacher Alan Watkinson, while still using the name Mohamed Farah.

Ahead of the broadcast, Sir Mo said he created the documentary for his family.

He wrote on Instagram: “I’m so proud have represented Great Britain and to achieved what I have as a GB athlete.

“But, my proudest achievement will always be being a husband and father to my amazing family.

“I did this documentary for them, so they could understand more about the experiences that led us to becoming the family we are today.

“Not every child will have the easiest start in life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t go on to achieve their dreams.

“I hope you’ll all watch later and I can’t wait to hear what you think.”

The Home Office earlier confirmed it would not take action against Sir Mo after he revealed the information.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in