Sir Mo Farah is ‘relieved’ that the Home Office has no plans to take action against him after it was revealed he was illegally brought to the UK as a child – as police ‘assess’ he was trafficked and forced to act as maid to work
- Sir Mo Farah said he is ‘relieved’ the Home Office has no plans to take action against him after revelations
- The sportsman, 39, said he was illegally smuggled into the UK and forced to work as a domestic servant
- The Met Police said ‘specialised agents are currently assessing available information about Sir Mo’s claim’
- The Olympic champion was actually born Hussein Abdi Kahin, something he is still trying to understand
- He flips the story of his life in a documentary, The Real Mo Farah, which airs on BBC tonight at 9pm
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Sir Mo Farah says he is ‘relieved’ that the Home office has no plans to take action against him after revealing he was illegally brought to the UK as a child – as police ‘assess’ he was trafficked and forced to work as a housekeeper.
The four-time Olympic champion, 39, said there were many people to whom he “owed my life” and who had given him the “strength” to talk about his past.
Sir Mo has revealed in a BBC documentary titled The Real Mo Farah how he was illegally brought to Britain from Somalia, after taking another child’s name, after his father was killed in the civil war.
He was later helped to obtain British citizenship by his PE teacher Alan Watkinson, while still using the name Mohamed Farah.
The UK Home Office has the power to legally deprive individuals of their UK citizenship if it is found to have been obtained illegally.
But the department has since said it would not take any action against the athlete.
Sir Mo Farah says he is ‘relieved’ that the Home Office has no plans to take action against him after revealing he was illegally brought to the UK as a child. Pictured at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil
The Interior Ministry said it would not take any action against the athlete (pictured in the documentary)
A spokesperson for No. 10 said of the Olympic champion: “He is a sporting hero, he is an inspiration to people across the country.
“It’s a shocking reminder of the horrors people face when trafficked. And we must continue to deal with these criminals who are taking advantage of vulnerable people.”
When asked whether the Home Office would take action against Sir Mo, he replied: ‘Absolutely not.
“I think the Home Office has been very clear that no action will be taken against Sir Mo and that is in line with guidelines.”
When asked during a BBC interview how he felt about the government’s response, Sir Mo said: ‘I feel relieved’.
An undated photo of Mo Farah as a young boy in Somaliland before being smuggled to Britain, where he spent his early years in servitude
“This is my country, without Alan (Watkinson) and the people who supported me during my childhood, I might not even have had the courage to do this.
“There are many people who have been very supportive throughout my career, especially my wife, and who have given me the strength to come up and talk about it and tell me it’s okay to do this.”
It comes after the Metropolitan Police said it was ‘assessing’ Sir Mo’s allegations that he was smuggled into the UK as a child and forced to work as a housekeeper.
The Met Police said in a statement: “We are aware of media reports about Sir Mo Farah.
“There are currently no reports to the MPS (the Metropolitan Police Service).
“Specialized officers are currently reviewing the information available.”
Sir Mo Farah holds up a picture of himself as a child during the filming of the BBC documentary The Real Mo Farah, which airs tonight
Mo Farah says he was smuggled into the UK and spent years under house arrest. In the picture: Sir Mo with his mother Aisha during filming. She Says She Sent Him To Relatives To Save His Life In The War – But Never Thought She’d See Him Again
Political figures praised Sir Mo as ‘truly inspiring’ and a ‘great Briton’ after he revealed he had been smuggled to the UK as a child.
Hopeful Tory leadership Nadhim Zahawi praised Sir Mo as a ‘truly inspiring’ role model after the revelations and reflected on his own experiences of ‘fleeing’ Iraq as a child. Similarly, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted his support for the Olympian.
“Everything Sir Mo has survived proves that he is not only one of our greatest Olympians, but also a truly great Briton,” he said.
Following the shocking announcement, Sir Mo said he is “very proud” of the documentary, which has allowed him to “explain and learn more about his past and his journey to Britain.”
The Real Mo Farah airs today at 6am on BBC iPlayer and at 9pm on BBC One.
A childhood photo of Sir Mo Farah competing in the Southern Counties Cross Championships in 1998
The Olympic champion pictured with wife Tania after being honored at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in November 2017
Sir Mo Farah holds up a Union Jack as he celebrates winning gold in the men’s 5000m final on Day 15 of the 2012 London Olympics
Sir Mo kneels as he is named Knight Bachelor of the British Empire by the Queen at a Buckingham Palace ceremony in November 2017