SPAC Nation: Church Reported To Police As Shadow Minister Alleges ‘Echoes Of Rotherham Abuse Scandal’
“There is a desperate need for an anonymous helpline for people who are currently or have previously been involved, to be able to call and get assistance to make their allegations,” he said.
“I think that needs to be done now, because by the church’s own estimation there are about 1,000 young people involved in it. My view now is those are 1,000 young people who are at risk today.
“But there are thousands more who have been through this organisation and they may also have things to say, and they may well be deeply traumatised by the experiences that they’ve gone through. They may be in debt, they have been criminalised by it, all of these are young people who will need help.”
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it has received allegations that pertain to potential fraud and other possible offences that relate to SPAC Nation.
A Met spokeswoman said: “Officers are reviewing the allegations to identify if any criminal offences have potentially been committed. Once this review is complete, a decision will be made as to whether a criminal investigation is launched. We cannot comment any further at this time.”
A Croydon Council spokeswoman said: “We do not comment on safeguarding concerns related to individuals or specific organisations, but we are there to offer support.
“If anyone is worried about someone at risk, or feels at risk themselves, please contact our safeguarding team on 0208 726 6400, or on 0208 255 2888, if urgent.”
SPAC Nation responded to the latest allegations and welcomed police involvement.
The church’s spokesman Daniel Ogoloma said: “It is a good thing that the Metropolitan Police have decided to review these allegations.
“We look forward to their investigation and we hope HuffPost UK will be honest enough when reporting their findings.”
He added: “We are happy with the developments regarding the Met Police as it’s the best way all concerned can establish the truth.
“I think the allegations you have put up here is in continuation of your pursuit to keep your readers engaged.”
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One Teenager’s Story Inside A Trap House
A 17-year-old girl told HuffPost UK that she would often stay at trap houses without her mother’s consent or knowledge of her whereabouts.
“I visited nearly all of the trap houses and it’s common for under 18-year-olds to stay at them. I’d stay at one in particular and my mum never knew.”
She first began attending SPAC Nation when she was 16 after becoming impressed with the church’s regular “takeovers” at fast food restaurants.
“I thought SPAC Nation was amazing and, at that point, I couldn’t understand why I was the only person from my area in this church. Everyone needs to be here, I thought.”
The teenager said some pastors would encourage her not to tell her mother where she was and she began spending more time with them.
“In SPAC Nation, this is what happens; if you finish college, they pick you up and they take you out with them and drop you home late at night. So, I was barely home.”
The teenager found that attending the church caused tensions in her home life. One senior pastor would regularly tell her that her mother did not work hard enough to move her out of the impoverished London borough they lived in.
“I got angry at my mum because of our living conditions when I shouldn’t have been, to be honest,” she explained. “My mum wasn’t even born in England.”
And it wasn’t long before the impressionable teenager, eager to conform, says she dropped out of college allegedly at the behest of a SPAC Nation pastor.
“I wouldn’t have dropped out of college if a pastor hadn’t told me to,” she said. “Even though I didn’t like it that much, I would’ve stuck it out. I was told that God didn’t want me to be in college and said that I am wasting my time.”
The teenager says some pastors instructed her to move out of her family home and into a pastor’s house, citing a biblical scripture as the justification.