Patrick Christys was forced to flee his home after police warned human traffickers intended to kill him over his work exposing Calais people smugglers.
The 34-year-old television presenter, who hosts the Tonight current affairs programme on GB News, told The Mail on Sunday that Metropolitan Police officers ordered him and his pregnant wife, Emily Carver, to pack their bags and hide in a safe house in the small hours of the morning.
Officers issued an official threat to life notice after intelligence services warned that members of organised immigration crime groups in northern France were seeking to cause Christys significant harm. The couple were instructed not to drive their own car due to fears it could be booby trapped, and instead to book a black cab to escape their flat immediately.
Christys explained that the police warning arrived while his wife was eight months pregnant with their son, George. Recounting the ordeal for the first time, he expressed anger and exasperation at the failure of British authorities to tackle human trafficking networks operating in plain sight.
"This is personal for me," Christys said. "I want everyone to understand the reality of who we're letting in to our country. These human traffickers wanted to kill me in my own home while my wife was eight months pregnant."
He added: "Who knows if they'd have tried to harm my wife and son in order to get to me? It makes me incredibly angry that we let illegals into the country - who we all pay for. Then we let those same people make millions of pounds trafficking yet more illegals to Britain. They feel so emboldened, they thought they could kill a TV journalist in his own home and get away with it."
Confrontation with Calais human traffickers
The ordeal began in July last year when Christys started investigating organised immigration crime in northern France. Calais, a major port town on the northern coast of France, has long served as a departure point for small boats crossing the English Channel to Britain.
Christys said he uncovered how easily traffickers could be located online, noting that gangs openly advertised their services on TikTok before moving conversations to WhatsApp to negotiate prices, times, and pickup locations. Frustrated by the apparent lack of official action, he traveled to Calais with a camera crew to confront the smugglers directly.
Arriving at 9am, Christys confronted three people smugglers by midday, receiving immediate death threats. Hours later, while broadcasting live on television back in London, his wife called during a commercial break to inform him that police had arrived at their flat.
Returning home just after midnight on July 25, Christys was presented with the formal police warning notice. Officers informed him: "As a result of your recent journalistic coverage of organised crime groups in northern France we are aware that members of those organised immigration crime groups are seeking to actively engage with you to cause you significant harm."
Panic alarm disconnected without warning
On July 26, Metropolitan Police officers fitted a panic alarm in the couple's home, allowing them to return after several days in hiding. Christys returned to work under strict confidentiality, being bundled into and out of the GB News studio in secret while wearing disguises in public on police advice.
A few weeks after the emergency evacuation, Carver gave birth to their son, George. However, the family faced a second unsettling encounter outside the hospital when Christys stepped outside for a cigarette.
Christys reported being approached by a runner for the Calais trafficking gang whom he had previously exposed, identifiable by a distinctive ring bearing the design of a Palestinian flag. The man walked directly up to him, paused, locked eyes, and held his gaze before walking away in what Christys described as an incredible coincidence or a chilling signal.
Further distress followed weeks later when contractors arrived at their home to retrieve the panic alarm. When Christys asked to keep the device, the technicians revealed that the Met Police had already disconnected the alarm ten days earlier without informing the family due to a shortage of available equipment.
Security patrols and criticism of authorities
Twelve months on from the initial threat, the intelligence services have not withdrawn their warning. The Metropolitan Police made no comment when approached, and Christys stated that even the investigating officers were kept in the dark regarding specific details from intelligence agencies.
"All the police could say was that they've had some information from the intelligence agencies. I don't blame the Met for not telling me more - they hadn't been told themselves," Christys said. "I'm never allowed to know exactly who wanted to kill me and I'm not allowed to know if the threat has gone away. It's just left to hang over us like a dark cloud."
The couple, both aged 34, now rely on round-the-clock security measures. Christys receives security transport to and from work, while GB News, a British television news channel, funds nightly security patrols along their residential street in London.
Christys voiced sharp criticism over the official handling of cross-Channel trafficking groups, pointing out that many gang members operate from within Britain itself. He noted that one smuggler he exposed displayed a WhatsApp profile picture showing him holding two automatic weapons.
"The intelligence services will say they're working to take down these gangs at source in Afghanistan, Iran or Pakistan but, so far as I'm concerned, they're not doing enough in northern France or here in Britain," Christys said. He also referenced wider security concerns involving high-profile political figures, including former MP Ann Widdecombe and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, whose home was targeted in a firebombing incident.
"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," he said. "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."
Journalist vows to return to northern France
Despite the ongoing threats to his family, Christys confirmed he has no intention of abandoning his reporting on illegal immigration and human trafficking networks.
He announced plans to return to northern France within the next few weeks for further investigative reporting alongside his production team.
"I want to let these monsters know that if their intention was to scare me into silence, they failed," Christys said. "I'm going back to northern France in the next few weeks. GB News and I think this is important journalism and we won't be intimidated."
