Hotel eviction for suspected abuser
A SUSPECTED paedophile has been removed from a Travelodge used by families with children after the Sunday Express alerted the company.
The pensioner is wanted in Poland in connection with investigations into the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.
But unknown to other guests, he had been living in a Bedford Travelodge for three months – until he was removed following contact from this newspaper.
A second suspect, wanted in Romania on embezzlement charges, was bailed to live at another Travelodge in London Docklands. He has also been removed. Westminster Magistrates’ Court had bailed the pair to live in the budget hotels while they fight extradition to their native countries where they face criminal cases.
The court bailed the Polish pensioner to live at the Bedford hotel on April 14 after he left a residential address in the city.
Travelodge officials said they had no idea the man was facing child sex allegations when he was accepted as a long-term guest in accommodation.
A Travelodge spokesman said: “The safety and security of our customers and staff is of paramount importance to us.
“We can confirm that we do not have agreements in place to provide bail accommodation and that these two individuals are no longer staying in our hotels.
“We do work with a range of third parties and have stipulated to them that we do not accept bookings for individuals that are alleged to be a sex offender or paedophile.”
The pensioner is due back in court for judgment in the extradition case and Bedford Council said he is now in self-contained accommodation.
He was arrested by Bedfordshire Police in September 2021 on a Europeanarrestwarrant from Poland and initially remanded in custody by Westminster magistrates while he fought extradition.
Within days he was released on conditional bail to live at a residential address in Bedford after paying a £2,000 security and surrendering his expired Polish passport.
He remained there until the hearing in April, when the court changed his bail to live at the Travelodge.
A Bedford Borough Council spokesman said: “We carry out checks with police before placing anyone in temporary accommodation and if someone has a criminal conviction they would be housed appropriately. We would not knowingly place a convicted sex offender in a hotel.”
In the other extradition case, a man in his 30s was arrested last year in London on a European Arrest Warrant from Romania in connection with an offence of embezzlement.
He was bailed conditionally to an address in Enfield, north London.
However, the court agreed for his bail address to change between April and May to a Travelodge in London Docklands, where he was under a curfew from midnight to 4am.
Court records said he was being housed by Enfield Council.
At a hearing this month, a judge said it would be against the man’s human rights to extradite him but he was re-bailed to the Travelodge and the case was adjourned to see if Romania would appeal that decision.
Enfield Council was approached for comment.