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Sir Mo Farah 'relieved' as immigration officials say he won't be investigated after coming out as human trafficking victim

Farah revealed he had been trafficked into the UK as a child under a false name.  (Reuters: Hannah McKay/Pool)

London police have confirmed they are looking into British Olympian Sir Mo Farah's revelations that was trafficked to the UK under a fake name as a child.

The four-time Olympic champion revealed this week he had been trafficked into the UK from Somaliland as a nine-year-old, and forced to clean, cook and care for other children without ever leaving a London apartment. 

UK media reported that specialist officers from London's Metropolitan Police were assessing available information about what had happened to Farah, who revealed his real name was Hussein Abdi Kahin.

In a statement, the force said "at this time" it had received no specific reports.

Farah said he was "relieved" the British Home Office would not be investigating whether he was entitled to British citizenship.

The Home Office told BBC News, which broke the original story, it would not investigate Farah, as it assumed children were not complicit when their citizenship was gained by deception.

Mo Farah is the most successful male track distance runner ever. (Reuters: Phil Noble)

"It makes me relieved," Farah told BBC Radio 4's Today program.

"This is my country. If it wasn't for [my PE teacher] Alan and the people who supported me throughout my childhood then maybe I wouldn't even have the courage to [speak publicly].

"There's a lot of people that I owe my life to, particularly my wife, who has been very supportive throughout my career, and who gave me the strength to come and talk about it, telling me it's OK to do this."

Farah, 39, said he decided to speak out about his experience to challenge public perceptions of trafficking and modern slavery.

What happened to Mo Farah?

Farah revealed he was born in Somaliland as Hussein Abdi Kahin.

His father was killed in the civil war that ravaged the country when he was just four years old. At nine years old he was separated from his mother. 

He said he was staying with family in neighbouring Djibouti when he was introduced to a woman he had never met.

She told him he was going to stay with a relative in England, presenting him with fake travel documents which showed his photo and another person's name: Mohamad Farah. 

He was brought to a home in Hounslow, west London, where his family's contact details were torn up and thrown away in front of him.

From that moment on he was forced to do housework and childcare, not allowed to leave the home or attend school, and told he would never see his family again if he spoke out.

Eventually he was enrolled in school when he was 12, and finally confided in a PE teacher who had fostered his athletic abilities. 

It was only then that he was removed from the woman's care and put into a foster home with another Somali family, before applying for British citizenship under his false name with the teacher's help.

Until this week, Farah had said he came to Britain as a refugee with his family.

That is the story he told UK immigration officials when he became a citizen in 2000 at the age of 17.

He went on to represent Great Britain at three Olympic Games, winning gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres events in 2012 and 2016. He was knighted by the Queen in 2017.

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