Asylum seeker seen playing with children in Cae Glas Park, Oswestry

Vladimir Stoyanov reported a safeguarding concern to English Vanguard following an incident at Cae Glas Park in Oswestry on 28 June 2026.

Mr Stoyanov told this publication that he went to the park with a few friends and saw an adult man playing with about a dozen children.

He said they shared a safeguarding concern with one another, and that he then approached the man to redirect him away from the children.

No individual has been charged in connection with the incident at the time of publication.

What Mr Stoyanov said the man told him

Mr Stoyanov said that during a short conversation, the man told him he was from Ethiopia and had arrived in the United Kingdom by boat earlier in 2026.

He said the man admitted to using a fake passport in England. Under section 4 of the Identity Documents Act 2010, possessing a false identity document with improper intention is a criminal offence.

Mr Stoyanov said the man told him he had lived at Heathrow for a while before moving to Roft Street in Oswestry, where he had been staying with other asylum seekers for about a month.

Follow-up contact

Mr Stoyanov said that during the conversation the man asked him to come and visit his house. He said he took the man's phone number and spoke with him again afterwards.

He said the man told him during that further conversation that he did not yet have a bank account.

Mr Stoyanov said that on 14 July 2026 the man texted him again asking where he lives.

He said he suggested they meet in person instead, and that the man has not replied since.

Concerns about address-seeking

Mr Stoyanov said he later discussed the contact with Charlie Iremonger, PCSE.

He said Mr Iremonger suggested the man was likely engaged in some form of fraud and was therefore seeking out people's addresses.

Mr Stoyanov said Mr Iremonger also told him there had been several reports of suspicious activity in connection with the group of asylum seekers living on Roft Street.

Editorial note

This report is based on Vladimir Stoyanov's account of what he saw at Cae Glas Park and what he said took place in subsequent conversations and messages.

We have not named the man concerned, published his phone number, or reproduced messages in full. We took that approach to reduce the risk of identifying individuals unlawfully or prejudicing ongoing matters.

We have not put the substance of Mr Stoyanov's account directly to the man before publication. Anyone who believes this report refers to them may contact our newsroom at newsroom@englishvanguard.co.uk.

Where this report refers to admissions about a false passport, a Channel crossing, or housing on Roft Street, those details reflect what Mr Stoyanov told us the man said. They should not be read as findings established by this publication unless and until they are independently corroborated.

English Vanguard does not publish information that could unlawfully identify a child victim or compromise safeguarding. No identifying details about the children have been included in this report.

If you have relevant information about this incident, contact our newsroom or use our secure tip channels. Safeguarding concerns in Oswestry can be reported to West Mercia Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

Disclosure: Vladimir Stoyanov is the founder of English Vanguard. He is the witness whose account forms part of this report and edited this article.