Met Police launch investigation into Mo Farah trafficking revelation

14 July 2022, 14:27 | Updated: 14 July 2022, 14:47

The Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into Sir Mo Farah's revelation that he was trafficked to the UK as a child.

The four-time Olympic champion revealed in a BBC documentary that he was brought to Britain from Somalia illegally aged nine under the name of another child.

The Met said today: "We are aware of reports in the media concerning Sir Mo Farah. No reports have been made to the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) at this time.

"Specialist officers have opened an investigation and are currently assessing the available information."

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READ MORE: Mo Farah reveals he was illegally trafficked to UK from Somalia as a child

In the documentary The Real Mo Farah, broadcast on Wednesday night, Sir Mo said he was helped to obtain UK citizenship by his school PE teacher Alan Watkinson, while still using the name Mohamed Farah.

Ahead of the broadcast, Sir Mo said he created the documentary for his family.

He wrote on Instagram: "I'm so proud have represented Great Britain and to achieved what I have as a GB athlete.

"But, my proudest achievement will always be being a husband and father to my amazing family.

"I did this documentary for them, so they could understand more about the experiences that led us to becoming the family we are today.

"Not every child will have the easiest start in life, but that doesn't mean they can't go on to achieve their dreams."

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Mr Watkinson said today the athlete had "no other option" but to "lock away" his past during his rise to greatness.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, he said: "It was really difficult, but he was in that situation where, really, he had no other option.

"I think the progress he was making as an athlete, the knowledge that if this story came out at any particular time, what would that mean for him?

"I believe he locked that away because he wanted to focus on the thing that drove him."

Following the film's broadcast on Wednesday, Mr Watkinson received an outpouring of love for helping his former pupil.

He said: "I know a lot of his friends were saying to him, 'Are you sure? Do you really want to do this? Can't you just leave it alone? You've got a really nice life; this could cause you all sorts of problems.'

"But I know Mo. When he decides he wants to do something, he goes and does it, and more often than not his instinct is right.

"I knew from what he said to me he had to do it."

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Mr Watkinson said Sir Mo "came alive" during PE lessons because it was "the one enjoyment he had" and the "one way he could express himself".

He said: "I saw a very different side to him than other people saw. He was quite aggressive in his first year at school. He had no access to the curriculum because he couldn't speak the language and he had a really, really difficult time.

"There is no way I would have guessed, maybe naivety as a young-ish PE teacher, and it was a real bombshell."

He said Sir Mo "has always been" the person portrayed in the documentary.

"I have known for a considerable part of his life he is such a generous and lovely guy. You always forgive him everything because he turns up with this big smile on his face and he is such engaging company", Mr Watkinson said.

He does not think the 39-year-old is "looking for retribution" following the launch of the police investigation, he added.

The Home Office has confirmed it will not take action against Sir Mo after he revealed the information.