09-07-2025
Identity of man who quoted Shakespeare to prove British citizenship remains unknown
A man who claimed he swam from France to Jersey last year is now at risk of being left in legal limbo, according to an immigration lawyer.
'David Henry Law' was rescued from Rozel Bay in late September 2024, carrying nothing but €265 in cash, a contact lens case, and a pair of glasses.
Whilst he claimed he was a 35-year-old British Citizen - and quoted Shakespeare passages in an effort to prove it - he had no formal identification with him and authorities were unable to verify his identity.
In March, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison for knowingly entering Jersey without leave and seeking to obtain or secure the avoidance or postponement of enforcement action against him.
Mr Law is up for release in September and during his trial, the Court recommended that he ultimately be deported.
However, the island's Customs and Immigration Service say they have still been unable to confirm Mr Law's identity and nationality.
This means there is no obvious legal pathway for deportation, as authorities do not know where to deport him to.
According to Pierre Makhlouf - an immigration lawyer and Director of campaign group Bail for Immigration Detainees - Mr Law is therefore caught in a "highly unusual" legal knot.
If the island were to detain Mr Law beyond the length of his sentence, they would risk breaching European human rights legislation.
However, without verifying his nationality, Mr Law will be effectively stateless upon release from La Moye Prison - and therefore unable to work or apply for housing.
Because he claims he is a British Citizen, he is also not eligible to claim asylum.
Mr Makhlouf says this presents a difficult challenge for Jersey's authorities once the prison sentence ends, adding: "On a legal level, they're holding him in detention, so the first step is they would need to make a decision as to whether or not they would continue to detain him unlawfully.
"If they can't, they're going to have to release him.
"In the UK, there are specific facilities and arrangements that can be put into place to assist someone who would otherwise be homeless.
"That includes asylum seekers but also other people facing removal who cannot be removed - what you have to bear in mind is if someone is placed on the streets, that is a potential breach of their human rights.
"In the end, you have to support them, it's a basic level of the treatment of people that we would all expect."
Speaking about the predicament, Jersey Customs and Immigration Service says it "will consider whether further action is appropriate when he is released, but will not provide comment on what will happen at the end of an individual's sentence."
They add: "Enquiries remain ongoing to establish Mr Law's nationality and identity."
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