Man jailed for smuggling people through Gatwick Airport

Hassan Rahimlou, 36, was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of assisting unlawful immigration following an investigation by Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation team.

The court heard that an Iranian man and Afghan woman were stopped by a Border Force officer at Gatwick’s South Terminal on February 13 2019 who identified that they were travelling on false Czech passports.

The pair had arrived on a flight from Naples. They subsequently claimed asylum and their cases are being dealt with in line with the immigration rules.

Meanwhile investigations into their flight booking details inked Rahimlou, of Len Freeman Place, Fulham, to the incident.

He was arrested by Essex Police at Stansted Airport when he was found in possession of a false Belgian identity card.

The Iranian man and Afghan woman - who arrived at Gatwick on February 13 - were found during a search of his home.

While enquiries continued, Rahimlou was charged in relation to the Stansted incident and pleaded guilty to possessing a false identity document with improper intent and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment at Chelmsford Crown Court on May 28 2019.

An analysis of records at his address identified booking details for the February 13 flight and also showed he had arranged production of the Czech documents and had been in contact with one of the migrants and provided boarding passes and additional supporting false documents such as bank statements.

It was discovered that he had sent messages coaching the migrant on what to say on arrival at Gatwick. Investigators were also able to link him to social media ‘adverts’ offering visas to the UK and other countries, identifying a contact telephone number provided as belonging to him.

Deputy director, Border Force South, Dean Oughton said: “Border Force officers are rigorously trained to identify those using fraudulent documents in an attempt to enter the country illegally. The detection at Gatwick was a vital intervention that has helped bring Rahimlou to justice.”

Andy Shortland, from the West London CFI team, said: “Rahimlou was involved in the supply of fraudulent ID documents in an organised bid to abuse the UK’s immigration system. His criminality has only been foiled by the effective work between my officers and those at Border Force and Essex Police. Together, we accumulated a wealth of evidence to secure Rahimlou’s conviction.

“This case should serve as a warning to anyone else engaged in immigration crime. You will be caught, brought before the courts and face justice.”