GB News presenter Patrick Christys has revealed how he and his pregnant wife were forced to flee their home after he exposed people smugglers in Calais. The police advised the couple to leave in the middle of the night, fearing for their lives.
Threats after undercover work
Christys, who presents the Tonight current affairs show, began identifying human traffickers last July and alerting authorities. He told the Daily Mail: "I realised how easy it was to track them down. They advertise on TikTok. Then to talk about locations, times, prices, you move on to WhatsApp. Yet nothing seemed to be done. So, we decided to front them up ourselves."
He and a camera crew went to Calais, where they confronted the smugglers live on air. It was then that the death threats started.
Police warning and panic alarm
While Christys was working, his wife, fellow GB News presenter Emily Carver, called to say police were at their home because "someone wants to kill you". The police read out an official 'threat to life' notice, stating that organised immigration crime groups in northern France were seeking to cause him "significant harm".
The couple were told to "get out of your flat right now" and warned not to drive their car in case it was "booby trapped". The Metropolitan Police fitted a panic alarm, and a few days later they were allowed home.
Continued fear and defiance
Christys kept working "as though nothing had happened", being bundled in and out of the office in secret and told to disguise himself when going out. Fear spiked again when police asked for the panic alarm back. He pleaded with contractors to leave it, but they said it had been disconnected for ten days because the police didn't have enough alarms.
He said: "These are frightening times, especially in the light of what we've seen happen to Ann Widdecombe and the firebombing at Nigel Farage's home. We're asked to put a huge amount of faith in the Metropolitan Police and the intelligence services; I'm not sure that's entirely safe."
Defiantly, he stated: "I want to let these monsters know that if their intention was to scare me into silence, they failed." He plans to return to northern France in the coming weeks, calling it "important journalism" that he "won't be intimidated" by.
On X, he explained his decision to share the story: "Thanks for all the well wishes and thanks @GBNEWS for doing everything to help keep our family safe. It was very scary at the time. Wasn’t sure whether or not to share publicly but I think the public should know how dangerous these illegal migrant gangs are."
