French judges were last night accused of 'going soft' on criminals orchestrating a wave of small-boat crossings to Britain after a string of convicted people smugglers were allowed to dodge prison.
An investigation by The Mail on Sunday can today expose how criminals convicted of involvement in people trafficking have been allowed to walk free with a slap on the wrist by French courts - even when they were caught red-handed.
In one of the most shocking cases, a married couple were last week handed suspended sentences and allowed to return home to Germany despite being caught with an inflatable dinghy, 50 life jackets and phones full of the numbers of migrants willing to pay thousands of pounds to make the perilous Channel crossing to England.
And in another astonishing verdict, a suspected Iraqi people smuggler allegedly involved in last weekend's record number of small-boat crossings was 'given the benefit of the doubt' and acquitted by a French court, even though police found a 20-seat inflatable boat in the boot of the car he was in.
A delighted Ibrahim Hussein, 36, blew kisses at the three judges who cleared him.
Details of the extraordinary leniency by judges in northern France come as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch last night demanded the freedom to deny migrants benefits - a move currently restrained by European human rights laws.
Writing in today's MoS, Mrs Badenoch said it was 'fundamentally unfair' that after five years migrants can claim the same benefits as UK citizens regardless of whether they have paid taxes.
French police officers were last weekend photographed on a beach idly watching as dozens of migrants waded into the Channel and climbed on to a dinghy.
An investigation by The Mail on Sunday can today expose how criminals convicted of involvement in people trafficking have been allowed to walk free with a slap on the wrist by French courts - even when they were caught red-handed
Writing in today's MoS, Mrs Badenoch said it was 'fundamentally unfair' that after five years migrants can claim the same benefits as UK citizens regardless of whether they have paid taxes
French police officers were last weekend photographed on a beach idly watching as dozens of migrants waded into the Channel and climbed on to a dinghy
France is reportedly poised to demand millions of pounds in extra cash to help intercept Channel migrants. Ministers are close to agreeing a deal to lift a ban on French police stopping boats in shallow water. But president Emmanuel Macron is expected to demand that the UK stump up even more money to pay for the law enforcement.
The UK is already paying Paris £480million over three years to stop the Channel crossings. Now our exclusive investigation of the French courts can reveal:
- A man from Azerbaijan was convicted of people smuggling after being caught delivering an 18ft inflatable boat and its engine - but walked free from court in Dunkirk with a suspended sentence.
- A Bosnian who admitted transporting four boats to smugglers escaped with an eight-month suspended sentence. The woman, 19, who lived in Germany, said she had just passed her driving test and 'wanted to get away to France'.
- A 19-year old from Chad also got a suspended sentence in Boulogne on Wednesday after collecting hundreds of thousands of pounds from UK-bound migrants.
Critics last night warned the paltry sentences risked torpedoing Keir Starmer's repeated pledge to 'smash the gangs' in a bid to secure the UK's borders.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'So much for Starmer's vow to smash the gangs. Despite being paid hundreds of millions of pounds, the French are clearly barely lifting a finger to stop this evil trade in illegal immigrants which has led to dozens of deaths.
'The French are taking Starmer and the UK taxpayer for a ride.'
And Alp Mehmet, of Migration Watch UK, said French judges had 'gone soft', adding: 'It's a disgrace. These pathetic and weak judgments make it open season for these ruthless criminals.'
There were extraordinary scenes in a court in Dunkirk last Monday when Afghans Idris Osman, 37, and his wife Tahmina, 36, walked free after being convicted of involvement in a people smuggling operation. Family members, who had travelled from their home in Germany, cheered after the couple were handed eight-month suspended sentences and banned from France for ten years.
Three days earlier, they were arrested after their German-registered Mazda was seen close to a beach at Leffrinckoucke, near Dunkirk. A search revealed an inflatable boat, outboard motor, cans of fuel and 50 life jackets.
Brazen Idris Osman attempted to blame his wife, saying: 'She's the one who has the contacts with the man who organised the trip - a Kurd named Djmal. I thought we were going to Belgium for a wedding and that we were transporting a recreational boat.' The couple were paid around £3,600 for the trip, the court heard.
On the same day, Syrian Taher Al Arrag, 45, and Iraqi Ibrahim Hussein, 36, appeared in a French court accused of offences related to people smuggling last weekend. Some 1,200 migrants arrived in the UK last Saturday - a record for a single day this year.
French gendarmes stopped the pair in an Opel Vectra in Neufmoulin, near Abbeville. In the boot, police found five 20-litre cans of fuel, a 20-seat inflatable boat, an outboard engine and 35 life jackets. Both said they were going to use the boat to get to Britain themselves, despite leaving their families in Germany.
Hussein, who had been in the passenger seat, was acquitted after judges gave him the 'benefit of the doubt'. Al Arrg was convicted of 'aiding the illegal movement of foreigners' and jailed for a year, with the possibility of parole after two months.
In another case, a man from Azerbaijan, referred to only by the initials RR, was arrested on May 25 after his car spun out of control during a police chase. Officers found a boat, fuel and 42 life jackets in the car. He was also arrested on May 18 while delivering a boat and its engine to a beach. But at a court in Dunkirk on May 30, judges gave him a one-year suspended sentence.
Germany is a key part of the supply chain for boats used by the gangs. Boats from Turkey with Chinese-sourced engines are transported to German warehouses before being covertly moved to the French coast.
Additional reporting by Isaac Crowson and Peter Allen.