Police raid Crewe religious group over abuse claims
Hundreds of police raided the headquarters of a religious group called the Amadi Religion of Peace and Light in Crewe, arresting nine people. The investigation stems from allegations of sexual offenses, modern slavery, and forced marriage, originating from a complaint made by one woman in 2023. Nine suspects of various nationalities were arrested, though police emphasized the investigation targets criminal behavior, not the religion itself.
Summary
A large-scale police operation took place in Crewe, with hundreds of officers descending on the headquarters of a religious community known as the Amadi Religion of Peace and Light. The building, which formerly served as an orphanage, was the primary target of the raid, with police releasing footage showing a large convoy of vehicles entering the grounds. Two additional addresses in Crewe were also searched as part of the same operation.
The investigation centers on serious allegations including sexual offenses, modern slavery, and forced marriage. According to police, the inquiry began in March of the same year following a complaint from a single woman who alleged she had been sexually abused at the site in 2023. Over the course of the day, nine individuals — both men and women — were taken into custody.
Police were careful to clarify in their public statements that while the suspects are members of the religious community, the investigation is directed at alleged criminal conduct rather than the religion itself. The arrested individuals represent a notably international group, with nationalities including American, Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Egyptian. Given the scale of the building — reported to contain at least a hundred rooms — the search operation was expected to continue for an extended period.
Key Insights
- Police released footage showing a large convoy of vehicles arriving at the former orphanage now used as headquarters by the Amadi Religion of Peace and Light, illustrating the scale of the operation.
- The investigation covers multiple serious criminal allegations including sexual offenses, modern slavery, and forced marriage, all connected to the same site.
- The police inquiry was triggered by a single woman's allegation that she was sexually abused at the site in 2023, with the investigation formally beginning in March of the reporting year.
- Police explicitly stated that despite the suspects being members of the religious community, this is an investigation into criminal allegations and not an investigation into the religion itself.
- The nine arrested suspects span six nationalities — American, Mexican, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, and Egyptian — suggesting the community has a notably international membership.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Hundreds of police arrived here to carry out a raid on the headquarters of a religious community. Police have released footage that actually shows a huge convoy of police vehicles arriving and going onto the grounds of a building that used to be an orphanage, but in recent years has been used as a base for a religious community called the Amadi Religion of Peace and Light. Now, police have said that the raid here and also at two other addresses in Crew today is [0:33] part of an investigation into allegations of sexual offenses, of modern slavery, and forced marriage. Now, we're told that police investigation began back in March of this year as a result of allegations…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from Channel 4 News
Meet the skate mums fighting to save their concrete jungle
A group of skate moms with a large online following meet monthly at London's Southbank Centre, the spiritual home of British skateboarding. The video profiles one member, 52-year-old Nesha, who describes skateboarding as therapy. The segment also explores the skate community's 50-year history of resisting gentrification and fighting to preserve their iconic concrete space.
Violent protests after death of Indigenous child in Australia.
Violent protests erupted in Alice Springs, Australia, following the arrest of 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, accused of abducting and killing a 5-year-old Aboriginal girl. A crowd of around 400 people gathered at a hospital demanding 'payback,' a traditional Aboriginal form of physical punishment, injuring several officers and medical staff before tear gas dispersed them. The girl's body was found five days after she went missing in dense bushland.
Clashes erupt over killing of Indigenous child in Australia
A 5-year-old Aboriginal girl was abducted and murdered in Alice Springs, Australia, leading to community outrage and clashes outside a hospital where the suspect, 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis, was being treated. Lewis, recently released from prison, was subjected to communal 'payback' justice before police intervened and relocated him to Darwin for his safety. The case has highlighted Indigenous cultural practices around death and justice.
Neo-Nazi guilty of terror charge after planning mass gun attack
A 21-year-old neo-Nazi named Alfie Coleman was found guilty of planning a mass gun attack after being caught in an MI5 undercover sting. Coleman purchased a pistol and 200 rounds of ammunition and had identified multiple targets including coworkers, the Mayor of London, and a local mosque. He was convicted of preparing for terrorist acts at the Old Bailey following a retrial.
Golders Green attack suspect charged with attempted murder
A 45-year-old man, Essa Sleman, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder following an attack in Golders Green and a separate incident in Suffach, Southeast London. The head of the Metropolitan Police has called for 300 additional officers to address what he described as a pandemic of antisemitism, requesting long-term government investment.