Suspected people smuggler arrested in Birmingham after BBC probe
"People smugglers operate for profit [and] without concern for the safety of those they transport," said the force's regional head of investigations, Jacque Beer."Our investigation continues with the evidence we have gathered today."The NCA said it currently had 91 ongoing investigations into networks or individuals in the top tier of organised immigration crime or human trafficking.
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Wales Online
22 minutes ago
- Wales Online
First small boat migrants detained for return to France under new deal
First small boat migrants detained for return to France under new deal The Government has warned people considering travelling to the UK this way to think again, as they risk being returned and losing the money they pay traffickers The first small boat arrivals have been detained, the Home Office has confirmed (Image: PA) The initial small boat arrivals have been detained for deportation to France under a "groundbreaking" new returns agreement. Detentions started for migrants who reached Kent on Wednesday with those being held anticipated to be sent back within a fortnight. This follows the implementation of a new 'one in one out' agreement with France designed to address perilous crossings. The Government has cautioned individuals contemplating this route to the UK to reconsider, as they face the prospect of being returned whilst forfeiting money paid to traffickers. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the initial wave of detentions as an "important step forward". This development follows Keir Starmer's praise of a significant UK-France deal to address Channel small boat crossings. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . Ms Cooper stated: "Yesterday, under the terms of this groundbreaking new treaty, the first group of people to cross the Channel were detained after their arrival at Western Jet Foil and will now be held in detention until they can be returned to France. "That sends a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat.", reports the Mirror. "No one should be making this illegal and dangerous journey that undermines our border security and lines the pockets of the criminal gangs." The Government maintains that the returns agreement - the first with mainland Europe since Brexit - represents a breakthrough in its efforts to tackle smuggling gangs. The fresh initiative will operate until June of next year initially, with sources indicating that as many as 50 individuals weekly could be sent back - approximately 2,600 annually. In return, those with valid claims to reside in the UK will be permitted to travel from France. Ms Cooper added: "Criminal gangs have spent seven years embedding themselves along our border and it will take time to unravel them, but these detentions are an important step towards undermining their business model and unravelling the false promises they make. "These are the early days for this pilot scheme, and it will develop over time. But we are on track to do what no other government has done since this crisis first started - sending small boat arrivals back to France and strengthening our borders through the Plan for Change." The Home Office declared in a statement: "Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and Home Office officials will continue to work round the clock over the coming weeks to identify and detain individuals under the treaty, and undertake the necessary processes to prepare them for their return to France." According to the arrangement, which was established during a UK-France summit in July, individuals permitted entry to the UK will undergo prior screening to determine whether they might present a security risk. However, these measures have been criticised by human rights organisations, which are urging the Government to create more safe and legal pathways. Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK's refugee and migrant rights director, remarked: "A returns deal with France that makes access to safety in the UK - even for those with close family or connections here - dependent on someone else risking their life to cross the Channel only cements the role of smugglers in how people fleeing war and persecution must seek asylum in the UK. "Once again, refugees are treated like parcels, not people, while the public is left to pay the price for, yet another cruel, costly failure dressed up as policy." Louise Calvey, executive director at Asylum Matters, condemned the move as "yet another attack on the human right to seek sanctuary". She commented: "It's a grubby trade in human lives that will do nothing more than remove people from this country back into the hands of people smugglers. "It will send them back to French shores where they'll face escalating police violence: boats being slashed with families onboard, children being teargassed, violence which we know makes Channel crossings even more dangerous." The Home Office also disclosed on Monday a £100 million enhancement to border security, which includes funding for up to 300 additional National Crime Agency Officers. This investment will also support a trial of the 'one-in, one-out' returns agreement with France. Article continues below
BreakingNews.ie
23 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
ITV commissions true crime series about one of Britain's 'most prolific sex attackers'
A new true crime series about the victims of 'one of the most prolific sex attackers in British history' has been commissioned by ITV. The four-part drama, Believe Me, will recount the story of three victims who were assaulted by John Worboys after he went under the cover of a licensed taxi-cab driver and later given the name Black Cab Rapist by the media. Advertisement Written by Bafta-award winning screenwriter Jeff Pope, the series features Slow Horses star Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Industry's Miriam Petche and Bloods actress Aasiya Shah, who will play the women Worboys sexually assaulted. Writer, director and producer Jeff Pope (Lucy North/PA) Worboys will be played by English actor Daniel Mays, who is best known for A Thousand Blows. Pope said: 'The series goes on an emotional journey with the victims of Worboys' attacks, showing what happened to them when they reported being raped and assaulted, the pain and indignity of the process and how this dehumanised them. 'But most shocking of all is how they felt that not being believed by the police and having the attacks recorded, essentially, as non-crimes, was as traumatising for them as the actual assaults.' Advertisement The series follows two women as they report sexual assaults by Worboys and their fight to have their allegations believed and investigated by the Metropolitan Police, leading them to take legal action against the force under the Human Rights Act. Aimee-Ffion Edwards (PA) Directed by Julia Ford, the series is filmed in Cardiff and will be produced with support from the Welsh Government via Creative Wales. Polly Hill, director of Drama at ITV, said: 'We are really proud to be working with Jeff Pope to bring this important story to screen. 'For too long, the women were not heard by the police, resulting in more victims and ultimately resulting in a landmark case brought against the Met. Advertisement 'Jeff's scripts, as always, are brilliant in bringing this difficult but important story to screen, and I am delighted that Julia Ford will be directing the piece.' The drama will air on ITV1 and STV and be available for streaming on ITVX and STV Player. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help .
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Exposed: Millionaire with two wives who unleashed terror in the sky by threatening to 'gang rape and set alight' Virgin stewardess
The thug who threatened to gang rape a Virgin air stewardess and set her alight is a 'super flash' recruitment tycoon whose business went bust with £17million worth of debts - and has two wives, Daily Mail can reveal. Father-of-three Salman Iftikhar, 37, was flying in first class when he launched a vile tirade of abuse towards Virgin Atlantic staff on a flight from London Heathrow to Lahore. Wealthy passengers aboard the flight watched in horror as the recruitment boss repeatedly called steward Angie Walsh a 'f***ing b****' at 39,000ft. He later threatened to blow-up the five-star hotel the cabin crew were set to stay in. Iftikhar, a Pakistani national, was jailed for 15 months earlier this week after he left Ms Walsh 'broken' and 'traumatised' having declared she would be dragged out of her hotel room and assaulted. At the time of his arrest, Iftikhar was living in his £2m house in Iver, Buckinghamshire, where he kept a range of expensive cars - from a Range Rover, Bentley and Rolls-Royce - on his driveway. He lived in the six-bedroom home with one of his wives, Erum Salman, 38, and their three children, who watched in horror and tried to intervene during his in-flight drunken tirade. Together the pair run a London-based staffing company that provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. But according to those known to the couple the pair had a 'rocky marriage and would argue quite a bit' - with police being called in one instance. Back in Pakistan, however, Iftikhar has another wife - supermodel and actress Abeer Rizvi, with whom he has been married for five years. The actress, who has more than half a million followers on TikTok, has shared loved up videos of the couple looking happier than ever, cuddled up together or attending film premiers together. On Iftikhar's birthday earlier this year, the 37-year-old, who won Veet Supermodel of the Year in 2012, penned on Instagram: 'My beloved husband, on this day I want to honour you and your unique ways. … 'Disagreements may come and go, but your love and understanding comes in abundance. I am truly grateful for being able to share this journey with you.' The couple appear to enjoy an extravagant lifestyle, spending time on yachts, enjoying luxury holidays or driving around in expensive cars. Indeed back in the UK with his other wife and mother of his children, Iftikar is seen showing off a similar glitzy lifestyle. Pictures shared online show him posing in front of a royal blue Rolls-Royce kitted out with a white leather interior. Other images show a Range Rover, Bentley and a Mercedes parked outside the home of the six-bedroom property. However in reality, the recruitment boss, despite being very wealthy, had a failed business venture that have left him millions of pounds in debt. The business mogul previously owned an aviation recruitment business, however it went into administration owing more than £11m to HMRC and £6.885m to HSBC. The company, called Core Labour Supply Limited (CLSL), had a rapid rise and quickly started having a turnover of almost £90m in 2022. It meant Iftikhar was able to continue enjoying his taste for the high life - paying himself dividends of almost £1m a year between 2018 and 2021. But the business was badly affected by Covid and two of his biggest customers, which accounted for 35 per cent, left. The company couldn't meet repayment terms with the HMRC, forcing them into administration. He now owns a training company called Staffing Match, which he has owned since September 2024 for his wife. The London-based business provides training to businesses working in customer service and manufacturing. The couple have a number of other small related businesses, which do not have significant reserves or have made small losses. Despite this, Iftikhar, who now owns a training company called Staffing Match, still continued to live a luxurious lifestyle. A neighbour of Mr Iftikhar - who asked not to be named - revealed to Daily Mail: 'He's definitely very flash, someone who likes to flaunt his wealth. 'How he made his money is beyond me, he ran a recruitment consultancy but I didn't really tend to see him leave for work. He was around the house most of the time. 'He moved in with his wife in 2016. At that time they had two children, but had another a few years later. I remember they threw a huge expensive first birthday party for their third child. 'The house has had a lot of work done. It had a brick frontage originally, but Salman had it all rendered. He also had a big extension round the back. 'The property used to be open, but he came along and surrounded it with big electric gates and an intercom system. 'He only ever really said hello or anything like that to me when he first moved in. After that he sort of fenced himself off and didn't really mingle with other neighbours much. 'One thing he did like was cars. He owned a Bentley and Range Rover, but he'd also drive different cars on a temporary basis. 'I think he may have been part of a car club or something like that because he'd drive a variety of different vehicles. Usually expensive looking ones. 'He was driving around in a red sports car a few months ago. He'd go out early evening sometimes and come home about 10pm revving the engine and blaring music out of the speakers. 'It was really annoying and inconsiderate especially as people were trying to get to sleep. He thought he looked cool, but he really didn't. 'I saw him a few times smoking weed on the front drive when I walked past his house towards the field. 'I gather he had issues with drugs and alcohol. I heard that at one point within the last few years he'd been banned from driving. 'His marriage had been rocky for a while, apparently, and he and his wife would argue quite a bit. The police were called to one incident last May. An officer knocked on several neighbour's doors asking if they'd heard any yelling.' Another local said: 'He'd usually tear down this road in a Range Rover or some other powerful car. 'We've got a 20mph speed limit here, but he was driving well above that. 'He was a bit of a poser when it came to cars and his house. He'd done a lot of the building work on his home around the time of lockdown a few years back. 'I thought he was a bit arrogant as he'd have friends turning up at his place at all hours and when he first moved in and was having building work done he'd parked his cars on his neighbour's driveway opposite without asking. 'The neighbour mentioned it to him and he stopped doing it, but didn't apologise or anything. I thought that was quite rude.' This week he admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment at Isleworth Crown Court, and was jailed for 15 months. Shocking footage shows Iftikhar repeatedly accusing Ms Walsh of being a racist and says: 'You called me a p*ki in front of everybody'. Iftikhar's wife and children can be heard crying in the background, pleading for him to stop as they were comforted by horrified cabin crew staff. Cabin crew were forced to discuss landing in Turkey due to his disruptive behaviour to which Iftikhar replied, 'I don't care. F*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts'. He went on to say he knew where Mrs Walsh lived in Cardiff before shouting 'the white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear'. The court heard the incident had erupted when Iftikhar was told to stop picking up ice with his hands from the bucket at the bar he was drinking at. 'Mr Iftikhar was seen drinking champagne at the onboard bar, where he was talking to cabin crew,' said prosecutor Abdul Kapadia. 'During the defendant's first meal service, the defendant was seen helping himself to ice, leaning over bar he was drinking at, and taking ice with his hands. 'When told to stop, the defendant became irate, and started to film cabin crew with his phone, telling them: 'Do not tell me what to do you b****.' 'When asked by the cabin crew to return to his seat, he then said: 'Don't tell me what to do you racist f-king bitch. I know where you are from in Cardiff.' The pilot was then contacted, and turned the seat belt lights on. 'The defendant then shouted, and said: 'Look at this b**** having the seat belt sign on when there was no turbulence. What the f*** is this b**** doing?' Iftikhar returned to his seat and called crew member Angie Walsh a 'f****** b****.' Mr Kapadia said: 'The defendant's behaviour became worse. The cabin crew discussed a diversion to Turkey. 'The defendant was informed of this possible diversion, to which he replied: 'I don't care. F*** it, go to Turkey. I have contacts. 'The defendant then sat down, but his aggressive behaviour continued. 'His wife was ashamed. His three children were also on-board, and other crew members were called to assist, but the defendant continued shouting and swearing. 'He was slurring his words, with his voice raised. 'He shouted at the cabin crew: "Do you know who I am?" 'The defendant's wife went to the food bar and tried to talk to cabin crew, but the defendant pushed his wife away, and shouted at her not to talk to crew. 'A crew member stabilised the wife's arm to prevent her from falling when she was pushed. 'The defendant then got up, and threatened to fight the cabin crew. 'He grabbed one flight attendant, called Tommy Merchant, and told him to shut up and go away. 'He told Mr Merchant: "Do you know who I am? F*** off. You should know who I am. Come on you heard me. Let's go right now." 'Staff tried to calm the defendant down. The defendant was asked if there was anything the cabin crew could do. 'But Mr Iftikhar leant forward and grabbed Ms Walsh's hand, squeezing it. 'Iftikhar called Ms Walsh a 'f****** white Welsh c***.' Mr Kapadia added: 'The defendant also threatened to blow up the floor of the Avari Lahore Hotel, where the cabin crew were due to stay. 'The defendant knew the specific hotel, but also the hotel room numbers, and threatened the cabin crew with this. 'He told Ms Walsh: 'You will be dead on the floor of your hotel'. 'Iftikhar shouted at Ms Walsh and said: 'The white sheep sh****** b**** will be dead. The floor of your hotel will be blown up and it will disappear. 'He told Ms Walsh: "You will be dragged by your hair from your room and gang raped and set on fire". 'The defendant said this while his three young children were crying and pleading for him to stop.' The details of the hotel turned out to be correct, and Ms Walsh had to stay there overnight, and could not sleep, Mr Kapadia said. Mr Kapadia said when the plane landed in Pakistan no action was taken against Iftikhar. Ms Walsh sat in court accompanied by her sister, Claire Walsh, who is also a Virgin Atlantic flight attendant, in their uniforms. She told how she had to take 14 months off work in a victim impact statement read to the court. She said: 'I feel like what happened that day has changed my life enormously. 'I can't quite believe that one passenger has had this much of an impact on my job, my career and my life. 'I am a strong, brave, happy stewardess, and loved my job. I am well known within the company. 'I have been flying with Virgin Atlantic for 37 years. I was working when all flights were grounded on 9/11, and I've even flown into a warzone. But this incident has broken me. 'But I don't feel strong enough anymore. I was abused for eight hours and 15 mins. It has broken me. It was a very personal attack. 'I was doing everything in my power to protect passengers and the crew from him. I felt exposed and vulnerable, especially as we were 39,000 feet in the air. There was nowhere for me to go. 'There was one moment where I felt I could not cope. I went into the cockpit and had a meltdown. I said to the captain I don't know what to do. 'Even the threat of diverting the plane to Turkey or Baku, Azerbaijan, had no effect. 'I was traumatised by the threat of being gang raped. 'Never in my entire career flying for 37 years have I not been sure what to do. 'I have had the best career in the world for 37 years. But he has taken that away from me.' Iftikhar, of Iver, Buckinghamshire, admitted making threats to kill and racially aggravated harassment, in relation to Ms Walsh. He was cleared of assault by beating and threats to kill in relation to Mr Merchant. Ben Walker-Nolan, defending, said Iftikhar was suffering from 'amnesia blood loss', which contributed to what happened. Mr Walker-Nolan added: 'Although there were over 100 incidents over the course of eight hours, the most serious, including threats to kill, were limited. 'The defendant has buried his head in the sand for a long period, and expressed regret. 'He has a long standing drug and alcohol problem which he has not addressed for many years. 'He is a successful businessman who employs a lot of people.' Iftikhar has six previous convictions arising from 15 offences, including common assault in 2004 and drink driving in 2008. He was fined £3,000 in 2021 after he was caught drink driving, as well as being under the influence of cannabis in his Rolls-Royce in 2021. Family members wept in the public gallery as the judge Ms Recorder Annabel Darlow KC said: 'Your threats to kill were made in the presence of children, specifically your three young children. 'These were threats made with significant violence. 'Your children had to be comforted by cabin crew staff while you made those threats. 'Ms Walsh has given up a job which she has loved for 14 months, but thankfully has now returned to work. 'This was a sustained incident which involved repeated racist abuse to Ms Walsh. 'You have a lengthy and appalling record of misconduct. You have not addressed the underlying cause of this for many years, that is your drug and alcohol problem. 'Given your lifestyle and your ability to earn money, your harm and risk has not moved. 'This was an appalling incident which has caused long lasting and devastating consequences.' Iftikhar, who appeared in the dock wearing a grey suit with a pink shirt, and a yellow tie wept as he was jailed for 15 months. According to his LinkedIn profile he is the director and founder of recruitment firm Staffing Match. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson commented: 'The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any disruptive or abusive behaviour on board our aircraft. 'We will always work closely with the relevant authorities and will not hesitate to seek prosecution for those individuals that cause disruption onboard through unacceptable behaviour.' 'We're incredibly grateful to Angie and our cabin crew onboard who dealt with this distressing situation in a calm, courageous and professional manner. 'We are proud of Angie for her bravery in court and we will continue to offer her our full support.'
