Police ‘put under pressure’ to keep quiet on Syrians accused of sex attacks on teens
POLICE were yesterday told to ‘come clean’ over crimes linked to refugees after a group of Syrians appeared in court charged with sexually assaulting teenage girls in a park.
Details of the prosecution of three young men and a 17-year-old boy only emerged a month after they were arrested and charged, prompting fears of a cover-up.
They have been charged over the sexual assault of two girls aged 14 on May 10 in Leazes Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
The men – one of whom came to the UK from Jordan seven months ago under the Government’s resettlement programme – have denied the charges, while it is not known if the boy has entered a plea yet.
The authorities have been criticised for keeping the potentially sensitive case secret until it was reported by BBC’s Newsnight on Friday, while the BBC itself has also been accused of aiding the alleged cover-up.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘It would appear pressures may have been brought to prevent police releasing some inconvenient truths in advance of the EU referendum. It is very disturbing if that’s the case.
‘Very clearly, the police have to come clean over any other incidents which have been suppressed or assure us there have been no similar incidents.’
He said comparisons could be made with Cologne in Germany where there was a reported cover-up of alleged mass sex attacks by migrants on New Year’s Eve.
Mr Bridgen added: ‘ We are seeing a clash of cultures. It is the suppression of information which would normally be in the public domain. We should all have some concerns over this. It is about Government departments and the police doing the right thing.’
Northumbria Police denies any wrongdoing and insists there was no need to publicise the inquiry as it was resolved within 48 hours with the suspects being arrested.
A spokesman said: ‘ We needed to carry out inquiries and there was no need for a public witness appeal and there was no danger to the wider public. Had we proactively released details of the incident then it could have frustrated our investigation.’
But critics have questioned why details of other assaults along with far more minor crimes are routinely posted on the force’s website while this prosecution was kept quiet.
The BBC described a claim it may have been part of a ‘conspiracy of silence’ by delaying a report of the story as ‘palpably ludicrous.’
Newsnight has been following the family of one of the defendants – 18-year-old Omar Badreddin – since they arrived in Britain last year.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘The story was aired at the first point we knew the full details of the case when pleas were entered in court on Friday.
‘The programme was not aware of the allegations against Omar Badreddin at the time of his first court appearance in May so could not have covered it then.’ So far at least 23 Syr-
ian with resettled Gateshead Government’s20,000with They familiestwo furnishedrefugeeshave childrenby councils– been Newcastlemainly schemeover council– havefive under providedparentsto years. hous- beentake andthe ing, educationare benefits access getting and forto £12,000are medical children.beinga care year helpedAdultsand in to about Some learn a councillorsEnglish. potential are backlash worried from grants, locals asylum if seekers Syrian or immi- refugees are convicted of sex crimes in the area.
Liberal Democrat councillor Doreen Huddart, who has worked with refugees, said: ‘There has been a lot of work to acclimatise these people.’ She said reports of the alleged sex assaults on teenage girls were ‘really disappointing’ and ‘will cause problems’. David Wood, a councillor in Croydon, another district where Syrians have been housed, said he ‘abhorred’ any sexual assaults, adding: ‘I hope there won’t be any knock- on effect but people do have worries about their safety on this.’
Lindsay Cross, of the Newcastle-based West End Refugee Service, dismissed claims that cultural attitudes towards women could be a factor. She said: ‘I think the respect that a human being has for another human being is the same no matter what culture you come from.’
Badreddin and Mohammad Allakkoud, both 18, have been charged with one assault, while Mohammed Alfrouh, 20, faces two counts. They appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday and were bailed.
A 17-year- old boy charged with one sex assault will appear before North Tyneside magistrates’ on September 29.
The defendants knew each other and played football in the park where the alleged attack happened. The young men are said to be learning English at a local college.
Yesterday the Daily Mail discovered nine resettled refugee families living in the Kenton Bar area of Newcastle were warned by police they could be ‘at risk’ of retaliatory hate crimes following the charges and were advised to ring 999 ‘if something happens’.
‘A clash of cultures’ ‘Conspiracy of silence’