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Britain's soft-touch approach to illegal migrants has been slammed after a begging gang boss was unmasked as an axe-wielding thug. Iliuta Gruia, who was part of a group that took over part of Park Lane in central London last year, is a violent Romanian criminal who was given a restraining order for threatening to kill children, an Express investigation found.

Metropolitan Police officers carried out welfare checks on the residents of the makeshift camp despite concerns from residents about their noisy late-night drinking sessions and public defecation. Iana Matei, Romanian activist and expert in human trafficking, hit out at the approach taken by the authorities, telling the Express, "it was organised crime at the expense of your citizens".

She warned that by taking an 'outreach approach', the "UK is facilitating trafficking in human beings because, I guarantee you, a lot of these people are begging, they don't have much to eat. They're exploited, they have to give the money to the head of the network [and] can get beaten up and punished.

"Listen, these people that you have camped in that park I have [similar groups] here, they are my neighbors and I know that they disappear, they go to work in England and then they come back, so this is not migration."

Gruia first came to the Express's attention for his repeated aggressive outbursts at visitors to the site. During a visit by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp he crept up on the Conservative MP before launching into a tirade about him being a "racist". We tracked Gruia to Botosani in the North of the country, where locals told us how terrified they were of the migrant, who was well known to local law enforcement as a danger to the community.

Exactly two weeks before Gruia first shouted abuse at the Express on Park Lane, he skipped a court hearing in his homeland in which he was slapped with a restraining order for wielding an axe and threatening to kill an entire family, including the children. During drinking sessions at his local bar, Gruia bragged about the money he earned from frequent trips to Britain, where he was known to have brought people, including children.

The violent ex-con also bragged about his exploits on social media, where he posted videos flaunting huge piles of coins and clips with beggars in the streets of London. However, none of this was known to the authorities prior to the Express investigation. During the summer, police were summoned to the site to conduct a "welfare check" on Gruia and the other inhabitants.

This was part of the "outreach" approach to the group, which saw local authority Westminster Council and landowner Transport for London offer "services" to persuade them to leave the site. During a council meeting on June 25, 2025, Councillor Liza Begum said the council's outreach officers were "always at the encampment and work very closely with the people [there]."

She added that "unfortunately, a lot of them have complex needs and some are not willing to take the services available."

Contacted, at the time, by a resident about the safety and hygiene risks of the camp TfL's boss Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, said that "migrants and refugee communities face specific barriers to participating in and contributing to life in London, including accessing employment and housing opportunities."

Silvia Tbuc, Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Migration at the Romanian-American University in Bucharest, said: "For me, it's a clear problem of exploitation and organised crime.

"Even if the local authorities give them, for example, jobs and houses, they are not going to change their modus operandi because this is their aim, to exploit people and to get money."

Mr Philp said he was "horrified" by the Express's findings and accused the authorities of missing vital warning signs. The shadow cabinet minister added: "The police, Westminster council, immigration enforcement, they've all been asleep at the wheel here.

"This kind of thing should not be allowed to happen on our streets, and people like this violent criminal don't belong in this country. I'm horrified that this violent criminal who's been terrorizing his own hometown, threatening to kill children with an axe, is able to come and go to and from the UK at will, obviously posing risks to citizens here in London, and that Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has been apparently trying to help this guy out when in fact he's a violent criminal.

"As far as I'm concerned, people like this, violent criminals, whether from Romania or anywhere else, should be deported. And we should make sure they don't re-enter the country."

Conservative Westminster Councillor Paul Fisher said: "Westminster Council has itself said they 'visit every person' and 'assess their circumstances'. That clearly hasn't been effective in protecting residents and visitors in the area. It is disturbing to think that criminals with serious offending history were sitting in tents on Park Lane. But it is also clear that in future all authorities - including Westminster - need to avoid treating this as a case of rough sleeping. Human trafficking and criminality clearly play their part here, and the council must not be shy about tackling it with the relevant agencies."

In response to the Express's findings, a Home Office spokesman said: "These allegations are absolutely appalling and we are urgently investigating them."

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson added: "The Met is committed to safeguarding victims of modern slavery and bringing perpetrators to justice. Local officers made multiple visits to an encampment on Park Lane last year. No reports of modern slavery or trafficking offences were made to our officers or via outreach workers from partner organisations. We would encourage anyone with further information to report matters so we can investigate.

"We know that anti-social behaviour, including begging, is a real concern to business owners, residents and tourists in the West End. We have increased patrols in the area and continue to work with our local partners.

"Officers are reviewing the information provided by the Express."

In a statement, Westminster Council said: "We visit every person, assess their circumstances, and help those in genuine need.

"We know that some people camping along Park Lane were there for economic reasons. "The council works with the Police to clamp down on anti-social behaviour and recently funded a joint team with the Met to tackle issues such as aggressive begging - sometimes linked to rough sleeping encampments.

"We are very concerned to learn of the serious allegations raised by the Express which I'm sure the Police and Home Office will wish to fully investigate."

A TfL spokesman said: "No one should be faced with sleeping rough on London's streets and we have worked closely with partners to try and resolve the issue at Park Lane. Any criminal allegations regarding people who have been sleeping rough in the camp are for the appropriate authorities to investigate."

Additional reporting by Matei Rosca