Fury as taxpayers forking out £1million a WEEK to migrant-chasing lawyers
Some £54.2million last year went to legal teams seeking to thwart deportations or argue
Campaigners say solicitors are lining their pockets by convincing clients to mount appeals.
Between March and December last year alone, some 45,787 Legal Aid claims were granted at an average cost of £827 per case.
It means solicitors pocket public cash — at £52 an hour — even if their clients have no realistic cases.
Bizarre excuses include the case of
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Figures seen by The Sun show the cost of operating the judiciary in the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal Chamber hit £53.5million in the year to March, whilst staffing appeals cost £31.4million.
And rates are set to rise.
Former minister Sir Alec Shelbrooke said: 'It's clear that too many lawyers in the system are raking it in from public funds.
'You'd hope the government would realise that the system is ripe for exploitation, but I have serious doubts that lefty lawyer
Most read in The Sun
A Government spokeswoman said: 'We are restoring order to this system, with a rapid increase in asylum decision-making.'
Fury as hotel firm housing asylum seekers in 'all-inclusive resorts' paid £700M a year of YOUR money
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Some £54.2million last year went to legal teams seeking to thwart deportations or argue asylum seekers should remain
Credit: PA
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The Irish Sun
11 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Illegal immigrant who taunted Brits on TikTok fled Germany for ‘soft touch' Britain after travelling from Afghanistan
AN illegal migrant who taunted Brits on TikTok from his taxpayer-funded hotel room fled Germany for 'soft-touch' Britain. The Sun told yesterday how he racked up a million views by boasting of crossing the Channel by dinghy, saying: 'Tell your friends to come.' 9 The TikTok asylum seeker smirking on dinghy to the UK on Saturday 9 The illegal migrant shared social posts wearing a balaclava 9 He is also seen in photos from his travels to France He posted a step-by-step guide to reaching the UK before hosting a Q&A in the Afghan dialect Pashto. Today we can reveal he swapped stays in Germany and France — two safe countries — to reach 'soft-touch' Britain, one of 434 boat arrivals on Saturday. The man, using the online handle Alexandra420, was moved to a hotel near Heathrow from where he shared eight clips encouraged others to make the journey. It also emerged that months before coming here, he warned Afghan asylum seekers they could be sent home from Germany. READ MORE ON ILLEGAL MIGRANTS STOP THE BOASTS Migrant LIVE STREAMS step by step channel crossing & boasts from hotel Following our investigation, TikTok has taken down his account for promoting people-smuggling. Last night Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted: 'This illegal immigrant had multiple opportunities to claim asylum in other European countries before choosing to come here. 'The Home Office and police should be urgently investigating this man for encouraging others to enter the UK illegally and producing a step-by-step guide showing them how to cross. 'Facilitating illegal immigration is a criminal offence. Enough is enough. "Everyone crossing the Channel illegally by small boat must be removed either to their home country or a safe third country. The Labour government need to get a grip of this crisis.' Mr Philp called for the return of the Rwanda deportation scheme, proposed by the Tories under Boris Johnson and dropped by Sir Keir Starmer on Day One of his premiership. Small boat migrants given taxpayer-funded days out including dinghy trips & £1 Prem tickets as farcical perks exposed Since then, 50,716 migrants have entered on a small boat — including 445 on Tuesday. Removals to Afghanistan have been paused since the Taliban seized control in 2021. It meant the TikTok influencer knew when entering the UK that he would likely not be deported. 9 He poses for a picture at Berlin's Altes Museum 9 Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp says 'enough is enough' Credit: PA He is believed to have stayed in Germany for a substantial time. But he decided to seek better benefits in Britain after posting about a plan by far-right party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) to deport all illegal migrants. It would have seen the mass return of asylum seekers had the party won February's elections. The current German government is also exploring deporting failed asylum seekers to nations other than their home country. Everyone crossing the Channel illegally by small boat must be removed either to their home country or a safe third country Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp Mocking taxpayers The influencer posted a video of AfD firebrand leader Alice Weidel, in which she claimed: 'The Afghans are a nation that grew up in a war-torn environment. 'We know this fact and we do not deny it. But it does not matter to me where they came from or what conditions they grew up in. 'When they reach Germany, they must respect the laws, customs and culture of this country. young people who appear in German streets in military uniforms…they are clearly from the battlefield, not from the borders of Europe. 'I say this as a warning, not a threat. Learn the civil attitude. Otherwise, perhaps where you came from is more suitable for you.' The asylum seeker wrote of the video: 'Listen to this woman's speech, and indeed, she has spoken what she means. 'This law will be applied to Afghans at the earliest opportunity.' In shared social posts he poses in front of Berlin's Altes Museum, and in a keffiyeh headdress. In another he showed off the city's Alexanderplatz. In a third he sits in front of a bridge in a blue t-shirt, jeans and trainers. He captioned the photo with a location pin emoji, the French flag, and wrote: 'France'. Another photo shows him at an unidentified train station platform wearing a black puffer jacket with cream cargo trousers. We can also reveal he changed his TikTok bio after entering the UK to include a British flag — mocking taxpayers stumping up billions to put up 32,000 people in around 210 migrant hotels. In his 45-minute Q&A session, livestreamed on TikTok on Tuesday, he told his 70,000 followers: 'Finally, I left Germany. Then they moved me into France.' Later, he attempted to make a sarcastic joke by claiming he had not come from Germany — despite admitting it multiple times. A follower asked: 'Brother, have you been to Berlin or not?' The man replied: 'Yes – oh, no, no, I haven't been there, brother. I've never been to Berlin.' He then laughed for several seconds before adding: 'And I've never lived in Germany. Not for one second.' 9 The illegal migrant posted a step-by-step guide to crossing the Channel on a small boat Credit: Tiktok 9 He showed TikTok fans his view from the window of his asylum hotel Credit: Tiktok 9 He also took part in a live Q&A with his followers Appearing to admit he had been rejected for asylum in mainland Europe, he went on: 'What should I do in a country that rejects me? 'I didn't get acceptance, I got nothing. I'm crazy to live there?' Referring to Britain's generous perks, he said: 'There's nothing there. Only here.' Later, in the livestream, he admitted: 'Everything in the story is about acceptance. 'There is no need for my attention there (in Germany) anymore. 'I came from a faraway place, aboard a ship.' Finally, I left Germany. Then they moved me into France After arriving in Dover, he was taken to the processing centre at Manston, Kent, and given standard-issue clothes, some of which he appears to wear in the video. He was then transferred to the Crowne Plaza near Heathrow. The hotel is a stopover for many asylum seekers before switch to more permanent accomodation. Yesterday more migrants came and went from the hotel, which is contracted by the Home Office after previosuly operating as a four-star stopover for holidaymakers and businesspeople. A TikTok spokeswoman said yesterday: 'We take a zero-tolerance approach to content promoting human smuggling, this account has been banned and we remove the vast majority of content before it is even reported. 'Through industry-leading search interventions and close collaboration with the UK National Crime Agency, we work to identify and disrupt organised immigration crime online, adapting our efforts to meet evolving threats.' A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'It is our longstanding policy not to comment on operational matters or individual cases.' 9 The man, using the online handle Alexandra420, was moved to the Crowne Plaza hotel near Heathrow Credit: Dan Charity BBC edit for 'xenophobia' THE BBC was yesterday forced to apologise after a Radio 4 programme branded fears about illegal migrants as 'xenophobic'. A guest singled out Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick for saying he did not want his children 'sharing a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally.' On Thought for the Day, Dr Krish Kandiah said: 'These words echo a fear — fear of the stranger. The technical name is xenophobia.' Jenrick slammed the comments and the BBC edited the show. It said: 'While its reflection on fear in society from a faith perspective is broadly in line with expectations of the programme, some of the language it used went beyond that and we apologise.'
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
I lost £635M in a rubbish dump & been battling for 12 years to get it back… now I've been forced to give up for good
A MAN who lost £650 million in bitcoin has finally 'given up' after he was banned from searching for it in a rubbish dump. The computer expert had been lobbying his local council to allow him to search for the coins, after his partner threw them out by accident. Advertisement 4 James Howells lost millions when his ex-partner accidentally threw out his Bitcoin Credit: WNS 4 The Bitcoin was contained on a hard drive Credit: WNS 4 His crypto stash was valued at £635 million Credit: WNS James Howells, 39, had acquired 8000 bitcoins by 2013 - just before their digital currency's value exploded. However, when his former partner threw out a bin bag of computer parts, he lost everything. Meanwhile, the value of the cryptocurrency skyrocketed and James' stash became worth a staggering £635 million. In a desperate bid to reclaim his lost fortune, he launched a legal bid to search the council-owned dump. Advertisement Read More on UK News SUN'S OUT Brits flock to the beach to soak in the sun - with temps to soar to 33C in days James even offered to buy it with the backing of hedge-fund millionaires who wanted a slice of his crypto fortune. However, Newport City Council has since denied his request. James tried to take legal action against the local authority, but a judge ruled in the council's favour and struck out his claim. At the high court, Judge Keyser told James that he had "no realistic prospect of succeeding" if he allowed the case to continue to trial. Advertisement He said: "I consider that the particulars of claim do not show any reasonable grounds for bringing this case. 'I also consider that the claim would have no realistic prospect of succeeding if it went to trial and that there is no other compelling reason why it should be disposed of at trial." Inside France's brutal crypto crime wave with chopped off fingers, delivery van street kidnaps & £10million ransoms The 39-year-old was told that looking for the lost cryptocurrency would be like 'looking for a needle in a haystack'. Although James has said he won't give up, he claimed to the Crypto Banker that he had been 'denied access to even start the search'. What else can I do? What else do you want me to try? Advertisement He added: "I would happily dig tomorrow but they are not going to change their minds. 'I believed that once the value of this hard drive reached $1billion they would come to their senses and say 'ok let's have a conversation and see if we can make this happen'?' James is now planning on developing his own cryptocurrency named Ceiniog Coin. The value of the currency would be linked to the value of his lost hard drive in a bid to reclaim some of his money. Advertisement The news comes after heartwarming footage of the moment that a dad who overcame cancer told his son that he had won the Euromillions surfaced online. Paul Harvey from Attleborough, Norfolk, won £1 million in the July 4 lottery. In the video, Paul and his son can be seen laughing and jumping around the kitchen. Paul recalled: 'I wanted to tell the kids in person so when my son got home I set up my phone to record it." Advertisement And after an agonising wait for them to get home from school, he got his dream moment. Paul said: "How many millionaires do you know?" And his bewildered son replied "zero". Then Paul broke the news by saying: 'Well, you do now.' Advertisement The 51-year-old had been battling with bowel cancer but is now looking forward to happier times after winning the massive prize.
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
My daughter was murdered by her evil ex who sent us chilling ‘I warned you all' text minutes before salon attack
Haunting CCTV also showed Hollie's twisted killer selling a DVD player so he could get money for the murder weapon FAMILY TORMENT My daughter was murdered by her evil ex who sent us chilling 'I warned you all' text minutes before salon attack NICK and Amanda Gazzard knew they had lost their daughter when the surgeon who battled for hours to save her life stood shaking in front of them at the hospital. Nick told The Sun: 'He didn't need to say anything - it was written all over the poor man's face." 10 Hollie Gazzard had repeatedly tried to break up with Asher Maslin Credit: PA:Press Association 10 On the day she died, Hollie had been expecting Maslin to turn up at her salon Credit: Rex Features 10 Nick Gazzard appearing on This Morning alongside his daughter Chloe Credit: Rex Features His beautiful daughter Hollie was just 20 when her jealous, crazed boyfriend launched a frenzied knife attack on her while she cut a client's hair at a beauty salon in Gloucester on February 18, 2014. Obsessed Asher Maslin stabbed her 14 times in front of horrified salon staff and customers after she repeatedly tried to break up with him. Hollie had met Maslin, 21, in a bar where she also worked a year earlier, but he soon became controlling. Chilling CCTV footage showed him selling his DVD player to get money to buy the 12-inch kitchen knife used to attack Hollie. He then bombarded the young hairdresser with abusive texts, including one that said: 'I don't want to get f***ing violent as I'll take it too far." Two days later, he texted her sister Chloe's partner, saying: 'I warned you all.' Minutes later, he walked into the salon and killed her. In July 2014, Maslin received a 24-year life sentence for Hollie's murder at Gloucester Crown Court. Hollie's father, Nick, a former professional footballer, spoke to The Sun about the tragedy that tore his family apart. He said the 'strain' of Hollie's brutal murder caused his marriage to his wife, Amanda, to break down, resulting in them divorcing two years ago. Stalked: Murder In Slow Motion - CCTV shows Asher Maslin selling DVD player to buy the 12-inch knife used to attack Hollie Gazzard He says: 'The impact of Hollie's death on all of us was, unsurprisingly, very, very difficult. 'I have always been a very positive kind of person, so my way of trying to deal with it was to throw myself into educating the public about the warning signs to look for in a toxic, controlling relationship. 'I set up a trust in Hollie's name, and I go around the country giving talks, offering advice. 'Amanda stayed in the background, and over time, we found we were travelling down different paths. "The strain of trying to somehow come to terms with Hollie's death affected our marriage. 'We are still as close as ever to Hollie's older sister, Chloe, who now has two children of her own, and the three of them are mine and Amanda's lives now. 'For Chloe, losing Hollie has been especially hard. In an instant, she lost her best friend, her soulmate, the person she could confide in about anything. 'After Hollie's death, Chloe struggled, but somehow she managed to come through it, and I'm so proud of her. "She's got two daughters, and they are our focus now.' 'Totally fixated' Nick said Hollie was 'a joy to be a father to'. He explained that she loved sports and threw herself into every activity she could. She was initially a very good footballer, but as she grew through her teens, she became more interested in fashion, hair and make-up. It soon became clear to Nick, like many girls of that age, that this would be the route she was going to go down. He continued: 'She was a quick learner and a hard worker. 'Hollie was ambitious too, and she set her sights on working in a hair salon on cruise ships a year or so before she was killed." It is so heartbreaking to think that if she'd stuck to her dreams and gone to sea, she'd have been safe from him, and she might still be alive today Nick Gazzard She had found an opening and was invited to go down to London to train for cruise ship salon work. But while Hollie was in the capital, Maslin followed her there and started giving her a hard time for wanting to take the job. Nick explained: 'He somehow managed to persuade her to ditch her dreams and stay in Gloucester. "It is so heartbreaking to think that if she'd stuck to her dreams and gone to sea, she'd have been safe from him, and she might still be alive today. 'Even though she decided to stay in Gloucester working as a hairdresser, she did repeatedly break up with him because of his behaviour, but he refused to let her go. 'Wherever she went, he'd find her and follow her, threaten her and make her life a misery. He just would not let her go. 10 Fringe Benefits hair salon in Gloucester where Hollie was brutally stabbed to death Credit: Rex Features 10 Nick urged parents concerned their daughter might be in an unhealthy relationship to get them to open up Credit: INSTAGRAM 10 He says he remembers the attack 'like it was yesterday' Credit: SWNS 10 Maslin received a 24-year life sentence for Hollie's murder Credit: PA:Press Association "He was manipulative, obsessive and had by then become totally fixated on her.' 'There's a knife' On the day she died, Hollie had been expecting Maslin to turn up at the salon, according to her then-boss Sian Pryszlak. She said: 'I'd agreed with Hollie earlier in the day that if he turned up, I wouldn't make a scene, I'd just call the police.' Just after 6.30pm, on February 18, Maslin walked into the busy salon. 'I was doing a gentleman's hair,' said Sian. She added: 'I said hello and he said hello and I walked to the back of the salon and held my phone up to Hollie to show that I was going to phone the police and we both nodded to one another. 'I remember feeling quite nervous and anxious about it. "I heard quite a lot of commotion and then there were people running towards me and one client said, 'there's a knife'.' The frenzied attack lasted just two minutes, but Nick says that his hurt will last for a lifetime. His work can never ease the pain he feels daily when he recalls the day of Hollie's death. He added: 'I remember the day we found out that Hollie had been attacked like it was yesterday. Every single detail stays fresh in my mind." Nick had been invited for a meal at a friend's house along with Amanda and Chloe. While out, he had to quickly nip back to the house to pick something up that he had forgotten. He said: "When I got home, there was a car parked up and a policewoman stepped out and asked me if I was Hollie's father. "She said she had something very serious to tell me and asked if we could go inside. 'I immediately began thinking through the worst things that could have happened to her. My heart was pumping. "When we were inside the house, this policewoman broke it to me as gently as she could that Hollie had been stabbed multiple times and was in hospital." Nick told how he raced back to the friends' house, picked Amanda up and drove to the hospital in a state of panic. When they arrived, they were told by a consultant that Hollie was in surgery. They were reassured that everything was being done in their power to try and save her life. Nick added: "I wanted to go in and see her, but they said that was not possible because she was being operated on and every second was critical. 'I hoped with all my heart they'd find a way to save her, but half an hour later, the surgeon came out to us. "He looked ashen, and he was shaking. He sat my wife and me down and told us he'd tried everything to save her, but she was dead. "That moment changed our families' lives forever.' Breaking the cycle In his public talks, Nick urges parents who are concerned their daughter might be in an unhealthy relationship 'to try and sit them down and get them to open up'. He added: 'Ask them if there's anything they'd like to talk about, and if they do open up, listen to them, take them seriously and help put them in touch with professionals who can give them clear, decisive advice. 10 Nick was made an OBE for his work in tackling violence against women Credit: PA 10 Maslin pawned a DVD player for £5 to pay for the knife he used in the crazed attack Credit: SWNS:South West News Service 10 Hollie was stabbed to death in front of colleagues at her salon Credit: Rex Features 'Through the trust I set up after Hollie died, I've lost count of the number of girls and parents we helped get out - and stay out - of destructive relationships. 'One of the most satisfying moments has been when the mother of a 19-year-old young woman contacted me to tell me that for years she had been unable to get her daughter out of an unhealthy, violent relationship. 'She told me her daughter would end the relationship, but then, within days or weeks, they'd get back together because he kept managing to convince her to try again. 'But after coming to one of my talks and reading through our advice online, she actually managed to help her daughter break the cycle and she finished with him… for good. Nothing will ever bring her back, but at least now I can help others make sure they keep their daughters alive and away from men who will harm them Nick Gazzard 'And now, she told me, her daughter has found a new boyfriend, someone who adores her and treats her with kindness and respect. She's finally in a healthy, happy relationship. 'That made my heart burst with pride. For me, that was the most satisfying moment since Hollie's death." Nick is well aware that he can't change what happened, but he has found comfort in helping others escape their abusive partners. He was made an OBE for his work by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace in March. He said: 'I am so glad to have perhaps saved at least one young woman from ending up in the situation my beautiful daughter Hollie found herself. "Nothing will ever bring her back, but at least now I can help others make sure they keep their daughters alive and away from men who will harm them."
