Small boats: Convicted terrorist who returned to Britain jailed for illegal entry

An Iraqi man who had been extradited to Italy and convicted of terrorist offences there, has been jailed for two years and three months today for returning to the UK illegally in a small boat.

Rebwar Hamad, 48, arrived with others on 19 September this year and eventually pleaded guilty to coming to the UK without valid entry clearance.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the South East prosecuted Hamad and during his sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court made clear to the judge that any prison term should reflect that he had come to the UK illegally for a second time and had been convicted of very serious offences in Italy.

Immigration Enforcement, an agency of the Home Office, investigated Hamad after he arrived at Dover. 

Peter Cockrill from the CPS said:

“Rebwar Hamad showed a blatant disregard for immigration rules by coming to the UK illegally for a second time and after serving a prison sentence for terrorism offences in Italy.

“The CPS argued in court that for these reasons he should receive the toughest sentence possible.

“The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work tirelessly with law enforcement and international partners, including the Border Security Command, to disrupt people smuggling networks and bring those who profit from this exploitative trade to justice.”

Hamad first came to the UK in 2001 and was given indefinite leave to remain. In 2019 he was convicted in his absence by an Italian court of terrorism offences and was extradited to Italy to serve his sentence in 2020.

After serving his sentence in Italy, Hamad said he was told to leave the country in seven days. He applied for a UK visa but this was refused so he paid 1,200 Euros for a place on a small boat.

The small boat was intercepted by a RNLI lifeboat off the coast of Dover. When he was interviewed by immigration officers at Margate police station a few days later he declined to comment.