Oldham man given asylum smuggled people into UK in sofas

People who had paid to be smuggled into the UK were found in the bases of the sofas

A man who was granted asylum after entering the UK in the back of a lorry has been jailed for trying to smuggle people into the country in sofas.

Arman Yusuf Rahmani, 21, from Oldham, admitted four counts of breaching immigration law at Preston Crown Court.

The Iranian national was jailed for 31 months and will be deported on completion of sentence.

Immigration Minister Chris Philip said Rahmani had shown a "blatant disregard" for the country which gave him safety.

The Home Office said Rahmani hired six drivers to unknowingly bring people into the UK

A Home Office spokesman said Rahmani, of Ringmere Court, hired six different "man with van" drivers from December 2018 to April 2019 to collect and transport second-hand furniture to the UK from France and Belgium.

He said the drivers were instructed not to help with loading the vehicles and had been distracted while the loading took place.

A search by UK Border Force officers found people who had paid to be smuggled into the UK were concealed within the bases of sofas inside the vans.

All of those discovered claimed to be Iraqi males under 18 years of age.

Video footage and photographs taken of the hiding spots showed that any call for help from those who had been concealed would not have been heard, which confirmed Rahmani "had no regard for the welfare of the people he was paid to hide", the spokesman added.

Speaking after sentencing, Mr Philip said the case showed "the lengths criminals will go to profit from our broken asylum system by putting people's lives at risk".

"Rahmani showed a blatant disregard for the laws of the UK, a country which provided him with safety and a place to live for which he has rightly paid the price," he added.