Migrant dumped with no money and no English is jailed for stealing food

A man who ended up in Carmarthenshire despite paying a people trafficker to take him from Morocco to France has been recommended for deportation.

First, Hassan Ibrahimi will serve a 12 month sentence after breaking into a house three times to steal food. Llanelli magistrates heard he had been desperate for food and shelter, but said the offence was so serious only a custodial sentence would do.

Ibrahimi's identity, language and nationality initially baffled police. It was only after a translator saw news reports about the case was it established he came from Morocco and that he spoke the Berber dialect.

The court heard Ibrahimi had left his remote Moroccan village to find work after an earthquake destroyed his home and killed his parents and brother. He paid £1,000 to a people trafficker to take him to France, but after a three-day journey by car and ferry, he was dropped off in Tycroes, near Ammanford in Carmarthenshire.

Unable to speak English and without money, Ibrahimi initially made a den in a hedge, but when he became cold and hungry he broke into a nearby house, taking groceries, clothing, a sewing kit and a toothbrush. He was arrested and later admitted burglary.

Before sentencing, his solicitor Mike Reed had asked the court to conditionally discharge Ibrahimi: "This is a most exceptional case and I would ask you what you might have done in a similar situation," he told magistrates. He said his client had been interviewed yesterday by the immigration services and wanted to claim asylum.

But the magistrates ruled Ibrahimi came from a different continent, had no connection with the UK, could not speak the language, would have nowhere to stay and would be likely to reoffend when released. They said the time he has spent in custody since his arrest on 24 September would be taken into account.

Mr Reed said they planned to appeal against the sentence.

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