Convicted terrorist from Iraq jailed after entering UK illegally on a small boat

A convicted terrorist from Iraq who entered the UK illegally has been sentenced to more than two years in jail.

Rebwar Hamad, 48, from Iraq, arrived with other migrants on 19 September and later pleaded guilty to entering the country without valid entry clearance, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

He was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday to two years and three months in prison.

Hamad originally came to the UK in 2001 and was granted indefinite leave to remain, the CPS said.

In 2019, he was convicted in his absence in Italy of terrorism offences and extradited to the country the following year to serve his sentence. After his release, Hamad said he was told to leave Italy within a week.

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He then applied for visa to come to the UK for a second time but his application was rejected, so he paid €1,200 (around £1,050) for a place on a small boat that was later intercepted off Dover, the CPS said.

Peter Cockrill from the CPS said: "Rebwar Hamad showed a blatant disregard for immigration rules by coming to the UK illegally for a second time and after serving a prison sentence for terrorism offences in Italy.

"The CPS argued in court that for these reasons he should receive the toughest sentence possible.

"The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work tirelessly with law enforcement and international partners, including the Border Security Command, to disrupt people smuggling networks and bring those who profit from this exploitative trade to justice."

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