Standing in five acres of carefully manicured lawns on the outskirts of the Cheshire town of Crewe, Webb House is an imposing building.
With its central clock tower, structurally it remains much as it was when it first opened its doors in 1912, as an orphanage for the children of workers employed by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) who had lost one or both parents due to an accident at work.
But if the facade of the Grade II-listed property remains much as it was a century ago, that is where the similarity ends.
For, as dramatic footage of police vehicles filing through the gates this week demonstrates, Webb House has undergone quite a transformation since Francis William Webb, an engineer who designed and built locomotives for the LNWR, died in 1906, bequeathing £53,857 to build an orphanage.
Back in the day, up to 80 children were housed there: the boys would wear a uniform of black corduroy trousers and brown jerseys, and the girls heavy-knit blue dresses with blue or scarlet cloaks.
These days, the occupants still wear what can loosely be described as a uniform – predominantly head-to-toe black, with a preponderance of beanie hats.
And while aerial photographs of the site do indeed show a trampoline, multiple climbing frames, slides and a football pitch (along with a large outdoor gym), there are no orphans playing here.
Its purpose has changed significantly over the past 100 years or so – just how significantly is evidenced by the signs around the site, warning anyone approaching that there is CCTV in place and that the premises is under ‘constant surveillance’.
Drones are sometimes spotted flying across the lawns and there is video footage online of a ‘robodog’ patrolling the drive, its purpose – other than giving it all a distinctly dystopian vibe – unknown.
So just what, you may wonder, is happening at Webb House and who are its occupants, who, until this week, numbered around 150 adults and children?
Many of them could be seen protesting this week after a massive operation by Cheshire Police on Wednesday in which more than 500 officers from as far afield as Wales carried out raids on three addresses linked to a bizarre, but rapidly expanding, religious sect which has its headquarters there.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) has, for five years, run its global operations from the site.
This week, however, it emerged that ‘allegations of serious sexual offences, modern slavery and forced marriage’ had been made by one woman who’d spent time with the Ahmadi sect in 2023 and who went to police in March.
It led to the arrest of ten people – seven men and three women – of multiple nationalities, who were later bailed. Police, it should be said, stressed that their investigation was not into the religious group itself and there was ‘no risk to the wider community’.
The group describes itself as a religious community – although others see it as a cult – and is led by an American-born former documentary maker, stand-up comedian and self-proclaimed ‘saviour of mankind’ named Abdullah Hashem who was one of those arrested and bailed this week.
The alleged victim moved to the UK from her home country under ‘false pretences of a better life’ and joined AROPL, Chester Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday.
But after selling her home and giving up control of her finances and her travel documentation, she was subjected to sexual and physical abuse, the court heard.
But after being taken to Sweden by the group, she managed to raise the alarm while being brought back via Ireland, it was claimed, and police began investigating.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claims to have been contacted by the group online, the court heard.
Members are claimed to have visited her in her home country, and in 2023 she is said to have agreed to sell her property and move to the UK. But after being brought to Webb House she was allegedly subjected to offences including forced marriage, rape and assault by penetration, prosecutor Catherine Elvin said.
Hellbound and Down 