A 36-year-old Iraqi man has become the first people smuggler convicted using evidence from surveillance drones over the Channel, and he was jailed yesterday.
Rebwar Ahmed, 36, was filmed by an ‘eye in the sky’ unmanned aircraft at the helm of a rigid-hulled inflatable boat crossing from France.
The Home Office’s clandestine Channel threat commander Dan O’Mahoney said Ahmed’s conviction sent a clear message to human traffickers.
Commander Dan O’Mahoney said: “The surveillance footage we’ve captured has been absolutely critical to proving who was driving the boats and quite often we arrest that person as they step off the boat in Dover, and we prosecute them,
“The evidence we get from the drone is so strong that they often plead guilty at a very early stage.
“It’s previously been very difficult to prove to a court that the person who’s driving the boat was playing a key role but now we often have video evidence of them doing that all the way across the Channel.”
Ahmed previously admitted a charge of assisting unlawful immigration during a hearing on August 21. He was sentenced to 31 months’ imprisonment at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday.
Jailing him, Judge Mark Weekes said: “You and those on board the craft were attempting to leave a safe country, France, to enter another safe country.
“The drone footage reveals that you are the only person in control of the boat.”
At UNN we are DISGUSTED with the attacks on our history and culture, get your exclusive badges by clicking here NOW to say that enough is enough!
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
[sibwp_form id=4]
