Iranian migrant jailed after helping five nationals enter UK with false identities

The court heard White advertised his services on Telegram, and used a number of email addresses and telephone numbers to arrange 12 flight bookings involving eight people between September 2023 and July 2024.

Five of those people successfully entered the UK, and subsequently gave the Home Office their real identities before applying for asylum.

The remaining cases involved passengers who either failed to board their flights, or were refused permission to travel.

Sentencing White, Judge Hobson said he was satisfied the defendant had been involved in a criminal enterprise arranging air travel for Iranian nationals.

“You were part of a criminal enterprise which involved arranging air travel to the UK for Iranian nationals,” the judge said.

He added that he was “quite sure” the enterprise involved providing false documents to people making the journeys.

The court heard White used his own bank account and Apple Pay to pay for some of the flights, while different contact details were used when making bookings.

White told police he received $50 (£37) for each flight, and was paid in cryptocurrency. However, Judge Hobson rejected the suggestion that this was the extent of his financial motivation.

“That simply wouldn’t make any commercial sense whatsoever,” he said.

Police arrested White on December 9 last year, after a search of his home uncovered two international driving licences, which the defendant told officers he had “found” and kept because he liked to collect documents.

The court heard the documents were not used to arrange any of the flights.

Nigel Fryer, defending, said White accepted that he had knowingly purchased flights for people using false details, and had pleaded guilty at an early stage.

He said there was “a relative sophistication” to the offending, but pointed to the relatively small number of people who ultimately entered the UK.

The court also heard that White had no previous convictions in the UK, and had family and a partner in the Llanishen area. His immigration status was due to be settled next year.

The prosecution said there was no evidence that dangerous methods, such as small boats, had been used to facilitate the journeys, as the individuals travelled by air.

White is an Iranian national who originally entered the UK by small boat himself.

After arriving, he changed his name from Parham Moradzadeh Sarabi to Benjamin White, and was granted leave to remain on family grounds until November next year.

Following the sentence, Conservative Senedd member Andrew RT Davies called on Vale of Glamorgan Council to abandon its County of Sanctuary status.

The region is among local authorities whose council and community formally commit to offering a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment for refugees and people seeking asylum.

He said: “Illegal migration poses a serious risk in the Vale of Glamorgan – and this case proves it. All authorities must unite to send a clear message that entering the country illegally, or assisting people to do so, will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

“The Council’s irresponsible County of Sanctuary policy does the opposite - it must be scrapped.”

It comes amid the arrival of a migrant dinghy on a Kent beach this afternoon migrant dinghy on a Kent beach this afternoon, undetected by UK authorities, who were only alerted after a GB News producer called the Coastguard.