Fears have been raised over the safety of British Army families as migrants are sent to live next door to them at a barracks.
In the wake of a series of horrific sex attacks by asylum seekers, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp raised safety concerns over the Home Office‘s use of at Cameron Barracks in Inverness.
Service personnel currently living next to the base are set to be deployed overseas early next year.
It will leave services families – mostly women and children – living next door to 300 adult male migrants due to be housed there at the taxpayers’ expense.
The Inverness families, who have raised concerns with local councillors, are the latest in a series of communities across Britain to express grave reservations about mass housing schemes for migrants being set up near their homes.
Mr Philp has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood highlighting a series of sex attacks committed by asylum seekers in other parts of Britain in recent months.
He demanded to know how the Home Office will carry out vetting checks on migrants placed at the barracks.
In his letter, seen by the Daily Mail, Mr Philp said: ‘We have seen cases in the news of illegal immigrants housed in hotels or ‘houses of multiple occupation’ committing abhorrent acts, including rape and other sexual offences.
A protest against the Home Office’s scheme to use Cameron Barracks for asylum seekers was staged in Inverness in November
Cameron Barracks, pictured, is due to house 300 adult male asylum seekers
‘We have seen examples of this in Scotland in Falkirk where Afghan, Sadeq Nikzad, raped a 15-year-old girl.
‘His lawyers claimed that he had not been educated about the cultural differences between the UK and Afghanistan.
‘In fact, in just one week, the Press reported that: three asylum seekers have appeared in court in connection with a gang rape on Brighton Beach; a failed Somali asylum seeker remanded ahead of trial for sexual assault in Bournemouth; another asylum seeker living in a hotel appeared in court accused of raping a woman in Bournemouth and two Afghan small boat migrants convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl in Leamington Spa.’
He went on: ‘I urge you to think again about placing unvetted male illegal immigrants close to women and children.
‘The soldiers based here are about to be deployed overseas, leaving military wives and their children living on their own in proximity to young male illegal immigrants.
‘Parents have raised clear safeguarding concerns about placing a large, single-sex adult population adjacent to schools and family housing.’
Hadush Kebatu (pictured) tried to kiss a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Epping, Essex, and then groped a woman who came to her aid
‘Predatory’ Dan Tesfalul, 27, raped a woman after plying her with drinks at a Norwich nightclub
Israr Niazal (right), 17, pleaded guilty to raping a teenage girl in a park in Leamington Spa, Warks, having arrived in the UK in November 2024. Jan Jahanzeb (left), also 17, led the girl away from her friends and was caught on video covering her mouth as she tried to scream
Fawaz Alsamaou, 34, a Syrian refugee living in Huddersfield, was filmed tailing a young woman out of a nightclub to strangle her in a terrifying 4am sex attack
Sadeq Nikzad was jailed for nine years for raping a teenage girl in Falkirk
He asked Ms Mahmood to confirm ‘what specific safeguarding and risk assessments have been undertaken in relation to pupil safety’.
Mr Philp’s letter added: ‘Decisions of this scale, imposed without local consent or consultation, are wholly unacceptable.
‘In addition, to add 300 young men to the city, in accommodation next to the wives and children of military personnel is a risk to the safety of the families.’
The Mail understands the barracks will be turned over by the Ministry of Defence to the Home Office on January 12.
Conservative leader at Highland Council – the local authority which covers Inverness – Rhuraidh Stewart said: ‘There are a lot of young families living around there who are very concerned about public safety because of this.
‘It’s an issue that comes up time and again.’
Ward councilor Isabelle MacKenzie said: ‘Military wives are furious and deeply concerned.
‘They were told not to speak out.
‘I am concerned on behalf of the local community by lack of engagement, an absence of updates or information regarding security and safeguarding.’
The arrest in July of Hadush Kebatu, from Ethiopia, triggered a summer of protests in many towns and cities where asylum seekers were being housed in hotels.
Kebatu, who was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault and one attempted sexual assault, against a 14-year-old girl and a woman, had arrived illegally in the UK days earlier on a small boat, and was housed at the Bell hotel in Epping, Essex.
He tried to kiss a 14-year-old schoolgirl and then groped a woman who came to her aid.
He was eventually given a 12-month jail term in September. Then the 41-year-old was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford in Essex just a month into his sentence and was re-arrested following a two-day manhunt.
He was subsequently deported to his native Ethiopia, but only after receiving a £500 ‘discretionary’ payment after he apparently threatened to disrupt his removal.
Earlier this month two teenage Afghan asylum seekers were jailed for raping a 15-year-old British schoolgirl.
Small boat migrants Jan Jahanzeb and Israr Niazal, both 17, attacked the teenager in a park in Leamington Spa, Warks.
An analysis by the Daily Mail showed 59 men who came here as asylum seekers went on to commit offences including paedophilia, rape and sexual assaults over the last three years.
Cases include Fawaz Alsamaou, 34, a Syrian refugee living in Huddersfield, followed a young woman home after she left a nightclub in Cardiff at 4am.
As she passed under a dark railway bridge he grabbed her by the throat and groped her with his other hand. He was given 37 months in May 2024.
In the same month, small boat migrant Dan Tesfalul, 28, from Eritrea, followed a young woman as she left a nightclub in Norwich before raping her in a car park.
He was jailed for eight years and three months in May 2024, seven months after having been granted leave to remain in Britain.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels.
‘This government will close every asylum hotel.
‘Work is well underway, with more suitable sites being brought forward to ease pressure on communities and cut asylum costs.
‘We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery.’
