‘My teenage son should have been protected ...not prosecuted’

A YOUNGSTER who was stabbed after being drawn into “county lines slavery”, was an exploited teen who now lives as a recluse, his mother says.

After the boy, now 22, was found hiding a knife in a park, she pleaded with her London council to steer him from gang activity, but it said it couldn’t help.

Five months later, in January 2017, the boy, then aged 16, was excluded from school and prosecuted after being made to look after a machete.

There was no intervention and four months later he went missing for three weeks. He was found in a Northampton squat with 80 wraps of crack, heroin and about £600 after being forced to supply drugs.

Although later identified as a potential modern slavery victim by the National Referral Mechanism and Met Police, the CPS prosecuted the boy.

He admitted two counts of class A drug supply and one of possessing criminal property before being given a youth offending order.

Councillor Kieron Williams fought for a Lessons Learnt Review by Southwark’s Safeguarding Children’s Board arguing “clear signs” of gangs and modern slavery were ignored. It was initially taken on, but in January 2018, it rejected his call.

Three months later, two youths from a rival gang stabbed the youngster. Only then was a multiagency risk assessment undertaken. However he was housed in the gang’s patch contrary to a court order before moving in with his mum close by.

Last year the Court of Appeal overturned the convictions of people after hearing evidence they were forced into slavery. The mum hopes the same happens for her son. She said: “There is an epidemic of exploitation of boys by gangs, but they are failed by the authorities.”

A Met Police spokeswoman said: “We are working hard, alongside our key partners, to safeguard children and vulnerable adults exploited by drug trafficking networks.”

A CPS spokesperson said: “Modern slavery victims should not be criminalised, but the public would rightly expect us to scrutinise with care the evidence behind a claim that someone who has committed an offence should not be prosecuted.”

Southwark Council did not respond.