Migrant caught with child abuse videos spared jail and deportation

Telegraph

3 days ago

A Yemeni migrant who entered the country with child abuse videos on his phone gave the thumbs up as he was spared jail and deportation.
Osamah Al-Haddad, 26, was caught with three videos, including one showing a man having sex with a goat, when he flew into Heathrow Airport from Cairo in January last year.
But he was spared prison over fears that he may be forced to fight for the Houthis if returned to Yemen.
Isleworth Crown Court heard Al-Haddad came to Britain on a student visa before applying for asylum because 'the Houthis were seeking out his father'.
Any asylum seeker sentenced to more than a year in prison can be refused the status and be deported. But Al-Haddad will stay until his application is decided after he was only given a 30-week suspended sentence.
James O'Connell, prosecuting, said immigration officers uncovered the material when they searched his phone during asylum screening. 'The defendant was interviewed and made no comment to questions he was asked,' said Mr O'Connell.
John Hunter, defending, said: 'The Houthis also asked the defendant where he was because they wanted him to join their army. As a result of that, he then applied for asylum. He is not able to return to Yemen, because of his fear of repercussions [for] refusing to fight.'
Mr Hunter said Al-Haddad's asylum application was pending but he was allowed to live and work in Plymouth, Devon.
'Although the defendant entered the country as an asylum seeker, he is now working in a restaurant,' he said. 'He receives a monthly income of around £781. He gives most to his wife and child back in Yemen, and he hopes to bring them to this country to live with him.'
Al-Haddad, of no fixed address, admitted three counts of making indecent photos of children and one count of making a pseudo-photograph of a child. He had claimed the images were sent to him by a friend on WhatsApp.
He was assisted by an Arabic interpreter as Judge Fiona Barrie told him: 'You are 26 years of age and you pleaded guilty to all offences. The category-A video involves an act of bestiality which is grotesque and is depraved.
'You should do well to remember that this is a real child who has experienced this abuse, and those are significant aggravating factors.
'You claim you have no sexual interest in children and received the images from a WhatsApp group. But I share the concerns of the pre-sentence report which state that you are not entirely honest about that. You have had those videos saved since August 2021, in your possession to view and certainly not deleted by you.'
Judge Barrie sentenced Al-Haddad to 30 weeks, suspended for a year. Al-Haddad was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, and 150 hours of unpaid work.