Migrant with ‘prominent Adam's apple' lied he was a child to get into UK
An asylum seeker with a 'prominent Adam's apple' lied to get into the UK by claiming he was a child.
The Iranian, who is now 20, was found by an immigration tribunal to have attempted to 'deceive' authorities by saying he was under 18 when he entered Britain in October 2022.
He claimed he was born in May 2005, making him 17 at the time of entry.
However, an investigation found that the 5ft 8in-tall migrant had the 'physical characteristics of an older male' with a 'deep voice,' 'fully formed jawline,' 'well-developed bone structure,' and 'large ears'.
Social workers from Liverpool city council assessed him as being over 18 and estimated that he was born in May 1999.
However, with the support of the British Red Cross, the unnamed man was able to mount a legal challenge.
At an Immigration and Asylum tribunal, Helene Santamera, a project co-ordinator for the charity, said she believed the Iranian was a teenage boy partly because after his arrival he had been gifted a 'teddy bear' that he 'held and cuddled'.
She said he was also visibly more 'comfortable' around children than with adults.
Upper Tribunal Judge Clive Lane ruled he was born in May 2004 and aged 18 when he entered the UK, and that he had chosen to 'conceal' his true age to strengthen his asylum claim.
He ordered the man to pay the council's legal bills of £16,442.
After the British Red Cross offered him support, the council remained steadfast and insisted it would not conduct a new age assessment.
The Iranian was granted permission for a Judicial Review but the case first went before an Immigration and Asylum Chamber.
Migrant 'tried to make himself look smaller'
The tribunal was told he was 'currently provided with support and accommodation by the Home Office' and had been living in hotels.
The council's initial assessment found: '[He] presented as approx. 5 feet 8 inches tall with a well-developed bone structure and of medium build. [He] has a fully formed jaw line, prominent Adam's apple, large ears and facial features of an adult and appears significantly older than his claimed age.
'[He] has the physical characteristics of an older male such as a deep voice. His demeanour was of someone who is not assertive and there was a time during the assessment that he cried and we again offered him an opportunity to take a break but he declined this.
'He consistently had a poor posture when sitting [and] talking to us and we took your health condition into consideration, however, he looked as if he was trying to make himself look smaller than he actually is. He told us that he has a condition called Alopecia and this was why he was embarrassed to take off his cap.'
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NBC News
12 hours ago
- NBC News
Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution
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Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Iran's barbaric brutality is spiralling out of control – regime is powder keg with one way out, says resistance fighter
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THERE is "no doubt" Iran would use a nuclear bomb on its enemies, a female activist has revealed. IT researcher Fereshteh, from Tehran, warned the "crisis-stricken regime" is clinging on to power by forcing its people to live in extreme poverty and ramping up executions. 15 People light a fire during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested Credit: Reuters 15 A woman shouts in desperation as she protests against the Iranian regime - in front of an NCRI flag Credit: AP 15 Iran's resistance units carry out activities such as destroying symbols of the regime Credit: YouTube/PMOI 15 The regime has been ramping up executions in a bid to control dissent, according to Fereshteh Credit: AFP Speaking to The Sun, Fereshteh, 35, revealed that she joined a resistance unit of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran after the regime tortured and executed her beloved sister. Hundreds of resistance units have been set up all over the country - aimed at undermining the regime's authority. Members organise and lead protests, destroying statues and images of regime leaders and documenting human rights abuses. Fereshteh revealed the situation in Iran is a "powder-keg" and a "ticking time bomb" ready to explode as Iranians grow angrier than ever at repression, corruption and high prices. She says things are worse now than in September 2022 when the death of a Kurdish girl named Mahsa Amini triggered mass protests. Outraged citizens in more than 280 cities in 31 provinces of Iran took to the streets and brought the mullahs' regime to the brink of collapse. Fereshteh said: "There was the massacre of more than 750 innocent people by the State Security Forces, which were in fact street executions. "More than 30,000 arrests involved torture and heavy bails for release, sometimes rape. 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The mullahs' regime tortured and executed my innocent sister, even burying her body themselves, creating lasting trauma for my family that I will never forget or forgive Fareshten, resistance unit member "Ali Khamenei, the regime's Supreme Leader, used to call Syria, its strategic depth, and he repeatedly said that if we don't fight in Syria and Iraq, we will have to face the enemy in Iran's major cities. "Now, the regime sees its only way out in trying harder to build nuclear weapons and acquire a bomb. "In the absence of any solution in the crisis-stricken mullah regime, the situation in Iran is like a powder keg. "And everyone, even the regime's leaders, constantly warn about the explosion of people's outrage from repression, corruption, and high prices. "The difference is that the people of Iran, especially the youth, know that the regime has never been in its current state of weakness." Fareshteh revealed how her activities for her resistance unit include painting political graffiti and encouraging others to stand against the regime. 15 Iranians protests the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police Credit: AP 15 Mahsa Amini, 22, died from beating by cops Credit: Newsflash She said she joined the unit to avenge her sister's death which she will neither "forget or forgive". Being a member of the resistance in Iran can carry a death sentence, but Fareshteh remains undeterred. She said: "I am the continuer and avenger of my beloved sister, who was the top student in her high school in mathematics and physics. "The mullahs' regime tortured and executed my innocent sister, even burying her body themselves, creating lasting trauma for my family that I will never forget or forgive. "I carry out activities involving posting pictures and doing graffiti, and I speak to and raise awareness among the people about the social responsibility that rests on all of us. "International support is very important. At one time, the regime's lobbies deceived foreign countries by pretending that everything was fine in Iran." 'Murderous regime' She added: "In the 2022 uprising, technology unveiled the countless crimes of the corrupt and murderous regime. "International solidarity will press Western governments to stop appeasing and dealing with this dictatorship." Fareshteh's comments comes after the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) presented shocking details about a covert nuclear weapons facility operated by the regime. Chilling satellite pictures released last month showed a secret nuclear site codenamed "Rainbow". It is believed the base is being used to develop nuclear missiles with a 2,000 mile (3,000km) range. 15 A 'morality police' van was reportedly set on fire in Tehran during protests in 2022 Credit: Newsflash 15 Hundreds took the streets over Mahsa's brutal death Credit: Twitter 15 Aerial pictures show a secret based believed to be developing nuclear weapons Credit: NCRI The NCRI say that Tehran is using oil and chemical facilities as a front to create terrifying nuclear weapons with the ability to strike US bases in the Middle East. Feresteh says the discovery of the base comes as no surprise as the regime's goal has always been to acquire an atomic bomb to "blackmail" the international community. "Repression at home and the export of terrorism and fomenting crisis have been one of the foundations of this regime's survival since its inception," she said. Now, the regime sees its only way out in trying harder to build nuclear weapons and acquire a bomb Fareshteh, resistance unit member "In the past two years, everyone has seen that the main obstacle to peace and security in the region has been the mullah regime. "After the fall of the Assad dictatorship... the only way out it sees is to increase executions at home and increase its activities to acquire an atomic bomb as a lever to continue blackmail the international community. "This regime has not stopped trying to acquire a bomb for even a day. "And the recent revelation... clearly exposes the regime's unreliability and deception in its pursuit of a bomb." Iran's secret nuke site 'Rainbow' Exclusive by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) CHILLING satellite pictures reveal Iran's sprawling secret nuclear site codenamed "Rainbow". Sources in the country have uncovered how the base is being used to develop nuclear-capable missiles with a 2,000-mile range - able to strike US bases in the Middle East. Tehran's tyrannical regime is using oil and chemical facilities as a cover for nuclear bases, bombshell docs shared with The Sun by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reveal. Haunting aerial images expose a network of clandestine sites - including "Rainbow" - used by iron-fist leaders to create terrifying nuclear weapons. A powerful nuclear blast from Iran could have disastrous consequences for the Middle East - and beyond - thanks to the capability of the warheads. Now sources inside Iran have revealed the regime's nuclear weaponisation entity, Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research's (SPND) secret project to accelerate nuclear ability. Hidden under the guise of a chemical production facility, the crowning jewel of the operation is a base known internally as the 'Rangin Kaman (Rainbow) Site". It is some distance from Iran's already known nuke bases, and is masked as a chemical production company known as Diba Energy Siba. READ MORE HERE 'Fighting spirit' Fereshteh said that despite facing "unprecedented repression and executions" the regime has failed to contain protests and even executions are not intimidating the public as they once did. She told how the political prisoners at some of Iran's most notorious prisons have been on hunger strike every Tuesday for 68 weeks as a protest against the death penalty. "Every week, their statement, which is courageously smuggled out of prison and published, speaks of their fighting spirit and loyalty to their commitment to freedom and the rejection of the death penalty," Fereshteh said. "Imagine that they are trapped in the prisons of religious fascism, but despite all the pressure the regime exerts on them, these strikes have continued for 68 weeks. "The people's anger and hatred grow stronger each day. "During the uprisings, I witnessed young girls, and even elderly women remove their hijabs when passing by the oppressors, signaling their defiance. "The intensity of this anger has reached a point where the regime no longer dares to harass women for not wearing hijabs as aggressively as before." Call for support Fereshteh has now called on the governments of the US and UK to "stand with the Iranian people" to prevent the regime completing its nuclear programme. She said: "The British government must immediately activate the trigger mechanism to prevent the regime from having more time to complete its nuclear program. "Since this regime will under no circumstances abandon its efforts to produce a bomb, this again underscores the necessity for the West to stand with the main opposition to this regime and the people of Iran and to provide political support for their efforts to change the regime." 15 Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 15 She added: "Not a day passes without various segments of the population - retirees, workers, teachers, nurses, medical staff, students, and those whose wealth has been plundered by IRGC-affiliated gangs - taking to the streets to protest against the regime. "Moreover, the increasing demonstrations from farmers and factories and businesses facing ongoing water and power shortages illustrate that we are witnessing an explosive society. "Today, in Iran, there is no segment of society whose patience has not run out with this anti-people regime. "The regime has managed to maintain its grip on power solely through blatant repression and a daily increase in executions. "For decades, the people of Iran have watched with disbelief and pain the leniency and wrong policies of the West towards a regime that is the main cause of instability and warmongering in the region and terrorism globally. "No one here doubts that the ruling fascist regime must go, and the only way to end the crimes at home and the warmongering, terrorism, and support for terrorist forces abroad is to end this regime. "This is achievable. "Our expectation from the international community is to stand with the people and resistance of Iran."
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trial date set for three Iranian nationals charged with spying offences
Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday charged with offences under the National Security Act. The three men all arrived in the UK by irregular means, including by small boats and a lorry, between 2016 and 2022. Sepahvand, of St John's Wood, Manesh, of Brent, and Noori, of Ealing, appeared at court by video link and spoke through a Farsi interpreter to confirm their identities. They are all charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist the Iranian foreign intelligence service between August 14 2024 and February 16 2025. Sepahvand is also charged with engaging in surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research, intending to commit acts, namely serious violence against a person in the UK. Manesh and Noori are further charged with engaging in surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that acts, namely serious violence against a person in the UK, would be committed by others. The defendants were remanded in custody and told by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb that a plea hearing will take place on September 26, and a provisional trial date has been set for October 5 2026. The three men were arrested on May 3, and five Iranian nationals were also arrested on that day in connection with an entirely separate investigation, with four of them remaining in custody after warrants of further detention were secured. The four – a 29-year-old man in the Swindon area; a 46-year-old man in west London; a 29-year-old man in the Stockport area; and a 40-year-old man in the Rochdale area – were arrested on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act, contrary to section five of the Terrorism Act 2006. A fifth, a 24-year-old man in the Manchester area, was detained under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act before being bailed with conditions to an unspecified date in May.
