A mother from Epping has claimed that police officers dismissed her worries about asylum seekers observing schoolchildren, telling her that watching children is "not illegal".
Lindsey Thompson spoke to GB News about her conversation with law enforcement regarding men housed at a nearby hotel who were seen watching pupils near a school located 500 yards from the accommodation.
"What do you do to protect the children going back to school next week? He asked, 'from what?', I said from the asylum seekers sitting all day watching our children, he said 'it's not illegal to watch'", Ms Thompson alleged during the interview.
The mother expressed her dismay after the officer is said to have questioned what action they could take, asking "what do you expect us to do?"
GB News star Patrick Christys was left exasperated, declaring "I'm going to explode in a minute" as he expressed his frustration.
Patrick was left with his head in his hands after Ms Thompson made the shocking claim
|GB NEWS / PA
Ms Thompson detailed a disturbing incident involving her teenage daughter's awareness of dangerous areas in the town. She recounted how her 17-year-old had predicted the exact location of a reported sexual assault before being told the details.
"When there was an alleged sexual assault on the high street, I told my 17-year-old girl to be really careful. She said, 'I bet it was either in the alleyway or it was outside Domino's, because that's where they sit and watch us'," she explained.
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The mother confirmed her daughter's prediction was accurate, stating "bingo. That's exactly where it happened. In broad daylight."
`Ms Thompson expressed deep concern about children's safety, particularly those starting secondary school who would be travelling independently for the first time.
Patrick was staggered by the claims
|GB NEWS
She voiced her frustration at seeing numerous officers stationed outside the hotel whilst local residents receive no similar protection.
"We see migrants being protected while going into town. Where's the protection for our girls?" she questioned during the broadcast.
The situation has prompted her 82-year-old father to take extraordinary measures for his granddaughter's safety.
"My dad, 82, has said he will take my daughter to school every day. Is that what we've come to? This is not coming home from a nightclub, this is coming home from school," Thompson stated.
She noted that recent maintenance work at the hotel had made access to the nearby school even easier, with grass cutting creating a direct path from the accommodation to an alleyway leading to the educational facility.
Protests start to gather in Epping | PAThe controversy unfolds against the backdrop of a Court of Appeal decision that reversed an earlier High Court injunction which would have required 138 asylum seekers to vacate The Bell Hotel by 12 September.
Three senior judges, including Lord Justice Bean, Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb, determined that the original High Court decision contained serious fundamental flaws.
The Home Office and Somani Hotels, the property owner, had contested the initial ruling that sought to prevent the men from remaining at the Epping accommodation.
Epping Forest District Council, which had secured the original injunction, indicated their determination to continue opposing the arrangement, stating that their efforts were not concluded.
GB News has contacted Essex Police for comment.