Couple who trafficked Farah may be prosecuted
Farah, 39, revealed that he had invented an alternative life story to “protect” himself after he was illegally smuggled into the country aged nine
A couple accused of trafficking Mo Farah into the UK and abusing him as a child face a potential investigation after Scotland Yard confirmed that it was “assessing” allegations made by the winner of four Olympic gold medals.
Farah, 39, revealed that he had invented an alternative life story to “protect” himself after he was illegally smuggled into the country aged nine and forced into domestic servitude. His former PE teacher confirmed in a BBC documentary that he was aware of the truth but agreed to keep it secret after helping Farah to find a new home away from the alleged traffickers.
The Metropolitan Police said specialist officers were assessing the information” as they decided whether to begin an inquiry. The force said: “We are aware of reports in the media concerning Sir Mo Farah. No reports have been made to the MPS at this time.”
The Met added: “We believe there are victims of modern slavery, including children, in every borough across London and the public may encounter them every day, possibly without realising. As well as being sexually exploited, victims have been found working in construction, domestic servitude, agriculture, cannabis factories and in places you use yourself, such as car washes, barbers and nail bars.”
The husband and wife accused of using Farah as a domestic servant have separated but are understood still to live in the UK.
In the documentary, The Real Mo Farah, to be broadcast on BBC1 at 9pm tonight, the athlete, who was born in Somalia, tells how he was brought to Britain and made to cook, clean and look after younger children by a couple who told him he would never see his real family again if he told anyone the truth.
He was given the identity Mohammed Farah, the name of his male captor’s son by another woman.
“I’m not who you think I am,” Farah says in the documentary, which was filmed over the past two years
Farah said he feared his teacher, Alan Watkinson, could get into trouble because he helped the runner’s British citizenship application, which included inaccurate information.
Farah’s real father died when he was four, during the country’s civil war, he tells the documentary. His mother sent him to Djibouti, which borders Somalia, to escape the conflict and live with an uncle. Farah says he was trafficked from there.
The athlete said he was telling his story to unburden himself of a lie that he and his closest friends and family had perpetuated for years, despite warnings that the revelations might leave him vulnerable to deportation. “I don’t think I was ready to say anything, not because you want to lie, but because you’re protecting yourself,” he said. “You only realise later it’s OK to let things out.”
The documentary reveals that the athlete crafted the alternative story about his arrival in the UK to protect himself from the reality. “I’m not who you think I am. And now whatever the cost, I need to tell my real story,” Farah says in the documentary, which was filmed over the past two years.
Farah, who was knighted in 2017, was told by lawyers during the making of the programme that he risked having his UK citizenship revoked because “false representations” were made on his application. The Times understands that Farah had not made the Home Office aware of his true story.
The documentary does not name those who brought him to the UK in the 1990s. The BBC said the couple did not respond to requests for comment.
