An Iraqi who was twice seen at the tiller of people-smuggling dinghies in the English Channel was jailed and faces deportation when his sentence is completed.
Fouad Kakaei was caught as he tried to reach the UK from France.
Judge Mark Weekes accepted that Kakaei, 30, had a “well-founded fear of persecution” in Iraq and was exploited by traffickers.
But Mr Weekes said he also played a “significant role” by steering the boats.
In a video appearance at Canterbury Crown Court, Kakaei pleaded guilty to two charges of assisting unlawful immigration.
He was jailed for two years and two months, much of which he has already spent on remand since the crossings in 2019. After serving the sentence he will probably be deported.
In July 2019, Kakaei and 26 others were rescued from a packed dinghy and taken to Dover in southern England.
The boats on both occasions were totally unsuitable for such crossings
“When he was searched, the defendant was found to have £210 [$288] on him along with a Samsung mobile telephone,” prosecutor Simon Taylor said.
Kakaei claimed asylum but agreed to return to Denmark where he had earlier lodged an unsuccessful asylum claim.
Then, in December 2019, he was found in another dinghy with 10 others headed for Britain.
“He accepted that he had piloted the boat,” Mr Taylor said.
Defence lawyer Aneurin Brewer said Kakaei had no financial motive for the crossings and had paid for his place on the boat.
“Many of the other migrants on board agreed to assist with piloting the boat," Mr Brewer said.
"[He] was merely unfortunate enough to be the one left holding the tiller when the boat was intercepted.
“He was not responsible for setting up or arranging these crossings ... and so he is not responsible for the overloading of these vessels."
In sentencing Kakaei, Mr Weekes said: “The boats on both occasions were totally unsuitable for such crossings. They were overloaded and they were on one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
“While I do not doubt that to an extent you were exploited by others as all in your situation are, I do not accept that ultimately you didn’t want to get in to the boat or that any form of duress applies in your situation.”
The%20specs
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Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
The%20specs
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Need to know
Unlike other mobile wallets and payment apps, a unique feature of eWallet is that there is no need to have a bank account, credit or debit card to do digital payments.
Customers only need a valid Emirates ID and a working UAE mobile number to register for eWallet account.
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
